St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns and will miss the entire 2014 season, according to reports.
Cleveland defensive lineman Armonty Bryant made contact with Bradford's left knee as he threw an incomplete pass. The hit appeared to be light, but the quarterback fell to the ground in pain. Bradford walked off the field under his own power but was favoring his left leg as he went to the locker room for further examination.
Bradford suffered the same exact injury in the seventh game of last season against Carolina that sidelined him for the year. This means that by the end of this season, Bradford will have missed 25 consecutive games. The fifth-year quarterback is no stranger to injuries, so it could be time for the Rams to move on and search for another option for their quarterback of the future.
Mark Sanchez, a former starting quarterback for the New York Jets, has looked good in the preseason while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and could draw trade interest from the Rams.
St. Louis had high hopes for Bradford when he was drafted with the top pick in 2010 and he did have a strong rookie season, becoming just the third rookie quarterback to start all 16 games and throw for over 3,000 yards. But he suffered a high ankle sprain in 2011 that bothered him for much of the season that saw the Rams go 2-14. He had an average season the following year and led St. Louis to a 7-8-1 record.
Then came last year's injury and now this one. Bradford is scheduled to count $17,610,000 against this year's salary cap and then $16,580,000 against next year's. Now that he's heading for his second knee surgery in less than a year, it looks like the Rams made a mistake investing in the young quarterback.
St. Louis decided not to spend a high pick on a quarterback despite having picks two and thirteen in the first round of this year's draft. The Rams eventually drafted Garrett Gilbert late in the sixth round, though he is considered a ways away from being a viable starting quarterback.
Veteran Shaun Hill is expected to replace Bradford in the Rams' starting lineup. Hill went 2-for-6 for 45 yards after replacing Bradford in Saturday's game.
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