Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has explained why he's pleased to see the new 'emergency QB' rule introduced by the NFL.
On Monday a new bylaw was passed which will allow NFL teams to name third active quarterbacks on their gameday roster. The third QB will not count towards the limit of active players allowed in a gameday roster, and will only be activated should the first or second quarterback be either injured or ejected, and not benched to be substituted.
It was in the NFC Championship game last season that saw the San Francisco 49ers heavily hindered by injury and misfortune. It's that game that contributed towards the league bringing in the new rule.
Back in January, 49ers starting QB Brock Purdy suffered a serious elbow injury and could not play on. It later transpired that Purdy had suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm.
The 49ers brought in veteran quarterback Josh Johnson to replace Purdy. However, the back-up QB would suffer a concussion leaving Kyle Shanahan without a fit quarterback available.
Jimmy Garoppolo was out injured with an ankle issue, while Trey Lance was also unavailable for the game. As a result, the 49ers were forced to bring Purdy back into the game, but could not play his usual quarterback role with Christian McCaffrey stepping in, before the 49ers lost 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The new rule will allow teams in the NFL to name a third active quarterback on their game day roster without using up one of their slots. And it's a rule that Stafford thinks is a good idea for multiple reasons.
The Rams QB feels that having three quarterbacks available for a game will make players more honest about injuries, without worrying about a player having to step into an unfamiliar role like what McCaffrey was forced to do in last season's NFC Championship.
"I remember them going away from it, thinking it was maybe going to help develop quarterbacks in some aspect and also get an extra special teams-type player, somebody that can really help in the core special teams stuff on the field," Stafford told the LA Rams Youtube channel .
"I'm glad to have it back. I think from a safety standpoint, guys will be more willing to be honest with whatever's going on with them. If they need to be out of a game, if they know they have a third guy waiting there to go in. glad to see it. I think it's good for the league."
When asked if he hoped the Rams would need to make use of the new bylaw next season, Stafford gave a sharp response. "Yeah, no. I mean, absolutely not," the Rams QB said.