Stetson

Bennett

At this point, it’s fair to wonder if 2023 fourth-rounder Bennett will ever appear in an NFL game.

Kupp’s absence was expected, given his projected multi-week recovery timeline. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes “Jimmy [Garoppolo] back in the backup spot at QB after his two-game suspension.” The Rams are exceptionally short-staffed with Puka Nacua also on injured reserve. They will likely try to eke out a win through a run-heavy offensive attack.

Just as he did last week, Bennett played the entirety of this preseason matchup for the Rams and pulled out another win in the fourth quarter. He threw just one pick in this one, with his highlight reel play coming on a 47-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Laap to give the Rams the lead and, eventually, the win over the Bolts. Bennett is a virtual lock to open the season with the Rams’ 53-man roster, with Jimmy Garoppolo set to serve a two-game suspension to start the year.

Stafford is experiencing tightness in his hamstring and will miss a few days of practice as a result. We wouldn’t read much into this beyond opting to exercise caution for their franchise quarterback with the season rapidly approaching. It should go without saying that Stafford won’t play in the Rams’ preseason matchup on Saturday against the Rams, which could pave the way for another long outing for Stetson Bennett.

Bennett made the start for the Rams on Sunday and played out the entire contest. The second-year quarterback had more downs than ups, as evidenced by his four-interception day, but gathered himself and the offense to orchestrate a game-winning drive in the final seconds. Bennett capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miller Forristall for the game-tying score, while kicker Joshua Karty converted the PAT to secure the win. After missing all of his rookie campaign, Bennett is now competing to stick around on the Rams’ 53-man roster as the third quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo returns from his two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Bennett, who was drafted in the fourth round of last year’s draft, missed all of the regular season while on the non-football illness list. Rams GM Les Snead said he believes Bennett’s time away was “very beneficial” while adding that Bennett was “exhausted” after leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Bennett is expected to compete with Jimmy Garoppolo for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford this offseason.

We haven’t heard much about Bennett since the team drafted him in the fourth round of last year’s draft. Head coach Sean McVay said in February that the team is undecided about Bennett’s future, adding that “at the appropriate time” the team will decide whether or not it’s ideal to bring him back. An opportunity to work out in OTAs suggests the Rams are going to give Bennett an opportunity to stick on the team this offseason, but his roster spot feels far from secure.

The Rams have been largely quiet on Bennett’s status since placing him on the NFI list in mid-September. Bennett was a two-time national champ at Georgia and a fourth-round selection of the Rams last season, but he’s spent the majority of his professional career away from the field. Bennett did appear in three preseason games, throwing for 347-1-3 while completing 58.1 percent of his passes.

He added that he wasn’t ready to completely rule it out but that the rookie quarterback doesn’t appear ready to return to the team after being placed on the NFI list earlier this year. That’s particularly interesting considering Matthew Stafford picked up a sprained UCL in his right thumb in Week 8. Brett Rypien is the only other quarterback currently on the roster.

Bennett is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that head coach Sean McVay previously said could land him on injured reserve. Now, McVay is saying Bennett’s addition to the NFI list is unrelated to the shoulder. He would not discuss it any further. Brett Rypien will serve as Matthew Stafford’s backup for the foreseeable future.