1 of QB Stetson Bennett's favorite targets faces a 2-game suspension

While you may not remember much about LA Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett's performance in just two games of the 2024 preseason, that information is vital to you to understand the rest of this update. You see, after sitting out the entirety of the 2023 regular season, the Rams welcomed Bennett back to the team for 2024. That warm welcome was not without conditions. The Rams had signed veteran backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the message between the lines was clear. Stetson Bennett had to re-earn the respect of his teammates and his place on the Rams roster.

Rams fans, for the most part, were far less forgiving and unwilling to welcome him back so quickly.

While everything seemed to be on track throughout training camp, the true test for Bennett was preseason. One year earlier, he started preseason with an impressive performance. But by the time he stepped onto the football field for his third preseason game, he was so rattled that he had to be benched quite early.

That was not the case for his 2024 preseason performance.

Stetson Bennett knocks off rust with 2 impressive 4QC victories

Stetson Bennett may not have been a well oiled machine. In fact, he appeared to be anything but in football form. But by the time the smoke had cleared, he had completed 41 of 69 passes for 437 passing yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions. Those two touchdowns were thrown in the fourth quarter, one in each preseason game, to lock in two consecutive wins for the Rams.

One pass was a 47 yard touchdown pass for the win.

He was able to get rookie WR Jordan Whittington 126 receiving yards, Xavier Smith 101 receiving yards, and undrafted rookie WR Drake Stoops 55 receiving yards. After that performance, Stoops was signed to the Rams practice squad, where he continued to train and develop his craft in the quest for a larger role in 2025.

Stoops suspension could derail his chances to make the team

Drake Stoops is an undrafted wide receiver who signed with the Rams after the 2024 NFL Draft. Standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 189 pounds, he hails from Oklahoma. While he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, he was also drafted by the UFL Arlington Renegades in 2024.

In our review of UDFA signings, Stoops jumped off the page with his overwhelming supply of confidence. As the son of former Oklahoma Sooners Coach Bob Stoop, Drake Stoops knows football from top to bottom. Since he was undrafted, his confidence served him well, ensuring that he remained upbeat despite not making the team's roster.

With the Rams projected to lose multiple wide receivers this season, he had hoped to make the team and perhaps even earn a rotational role in the offense. But now, with a two game suspension looming, he is unlikely to leapfrog up the depth chart fast enough to earn a larger role.

Some fans ask who he is. He is one of the undrafted rookies signed to the team after the 2024 NFL Draft. He has some potential to contribute in 2025. But now that he faces a two-game suspension, he will need to have a superb training camp to be worth keeping around.

As always, thanks for reading.

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