No matter your preferred phrase or cliche for what the 2014 season will mean for St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, there's little doubt that it's going to be important in shaping his long-term future with the team and the league at large.

Earlier this week, ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando posted a really interesting piece on Insider focused on what he calls "quarterbacks at a crossroads." Using QBR as his primary measurement, Sando took the records as starters as well as the QBR from their rookie seasons to see if there was an indication of future success to be gleaned from the numbers.

The list starts with quarterbacks entering the league in 2006.

Without diving too deep into Sando's methodology -- it's certainly worth a read on its own -- we can skip right ahead to the part about Bradford. Now entering his fifth season in the league, Bradford has so far been unable to generate much success. Whether or not you choose to factor in the reasons for those struggles, the point is that his performance hasn't been up to par with many other young quarterbacks around the league.

According to ESPN analyst Bill Polian, Bradford falls into a category alongside Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, Carolina's Cam Newton and Detroit's Matthew Stafford as quarterbacks at the crossroads.

Bradford had the lowest QBR of that quartet and while someone like Newton is almost certain to get a rich extension in the near future, Bradford's situation appears more up in the air.

ESPN scout Matt Williamson had this to say when weighing Bradford against the group:

"I'm not done with Bradford, but the Rams were better without him last season," Williamson said. "They changed their philosophy and maybe should have done that from the beginning, but the personnel wasn't that much different. How many great games has he had? There are lots of reasons why and I'd still give him this year, but that is it. For Newton, by comparison, I'm all-in with him."

The Rams continue to insist that Bradford is their man but if he struggles in 2014 or, worse, is again unable to play a full season healthy, they'll have to seriously take a look at the position long-term.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Friday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we took a look at columnist Ashley Fox's piece on Robert Quinn and how it could alter the team's view of Jadeveon Clowney in the draft. ... Next, I took part in my weekly chat, covering a variety of topics with you for quite some time. ... From there, we took a look at the Rams' interest in receiver Sammy Watkins. ... Finally, I offered an unofficial entry into the Rams' guess the schedule contest.

Elsewhere:

Stltoday.com writes that local legend Dan Dierdorf is returning to the broadcast booth at his alma mater, Michigan.

As mentioned above, the Rams put Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins through a private workout Friday.

Stlouisrams.com takes a look at Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin.

NFL.com explores some possible draft-day deals.