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Brian Quick finally got his chance to show what he could do as a starting NFL wide receiver. Initially, few could come away unimpressed. Unfortunately, Quick will have to wait until 2015 to see if he can take his game to an even higher level.
The St. Louis Rams learned on Monday that they will have to move forward without Quick, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder in week eight. Quick also sustained a torn rotator cuff in a week eight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The shoulder separation alone would be bad, but the torn rotator cuff combines with it to end his season, as the Rams will be placing their top receiver on injured reserve.
It’s a fairly big loss for a St. Louis wide receiving corps that otherwise did not have a legit number one option, while even Quick was starting to struggle the past few weeks. Even so, Quick established career highs across the board, as he hauled in 25 catches for 375 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his third NFL season (first as a starter).
Quick should return on a relatively fair price for 2015, where he will enter a contract season. There is no reason to think Quick can’t make a full recovery and be ready to reclaim his starting role in 2015.
For now, the Rams will simply have to move on. That should mean veteran Kenny Britt will take over Quick’s #1 role in the passing game, while Quick’s absence could also open the door to numerous other targets getting more looks in the passing game. Tight end Jared Cook may see his role increase, while the Rams could also get smaller weapons Tavon Austin and Chris Givens more involved.
The bad news could be a mild blessing in disguise in the long run, as Austin has been a total failure ever since St. Louis traded up to get him in last year’s draft. Forcing him into a bigger role could both help the Rams fill the void Quick is leaving, and also provide a jolt for his currently drowning career.
