5 reasons why the LA Rams will salvage rookie QB Stetson Bennett's NFL career in 2024

The return on investment for the LA Rams' drafting rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett has been nothing so far. The Rams wanted to invest in a young and raw quarterback to develop over the course of the 2023 NFL season and leverage that development and growth to fill a backup quarterback role for the team in the future. But there is a problem with that strategy. The backup quarterback needs to be available to train and develop.

Well here we are, heading into Week 17 of the Rams schedule, and the LA Rams have held rookie QB Stetson Bennett on the NFI/IR list all season. Whatever the reason for his status to be on the IR list all season, the result is undeniable. Because the Rams cannot work out or with any player on injured reserve, that players development has effectively been placed on ice.

That could be fatal to the ongoing relationship between the LA Rams and QB Stetson Bennett.

But before we all suit up in our Fantasy Football GM gear and nod in a no-dog-in-the-race manner when the question of whether or not the LA Rams should cut their losses with Stetson Bennett, let's stop, look, and listen. The Rams have had multiple occasions when the team has stood behind young players who struggled early in their NFL careers. So why should Stetson Bennett be any different?

In the end, the guy missed his rookie season. If you think back, LA Rams featured RB Kyren Williams missed almost his entire rookie season thanks to two poorly timed injuries. WR Tutu Atwell needed several years before finding his niche in the Rams offense. Interior offensive lineman Logan Bruss is still working out the bugs to get his NFL career underway.

Even veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford was only able to play in 13 games in his first two NFL seasons. So the fact that Stetson Bennett has missed his rookie season as a roadblock to his NFL career is more about falling short of fans expectations than a true barrier that he cannot overcome in 2024.

But there are other reasons why some believe that he won't be back in 2024. Let's address those primary reasons one-by-one:

Why believe Rams will try to salvage QB Stetson Bennett's NFL career in 2024?

1. V: Rams may not need to draft a QB early in 2024
2. IV: Rams 2023 rookie class is built on long-shots who love to play football
3. III: Don't question his mental toughness
4. II: Bennett has beaten the odds throughout his football career
5. I: Rams HC Sean McVay loves Stetson Bennett

V: Rams may not need to draft a QB early in 2024

When the LA Rams limped into their Week 10 BYE with a record of 3-6, the Rams were considered to be a team looking at a Top-10 draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Rams had fallen further, the Rams might have been looking at a Top-3 pick. That would have been an ideal spot to select one of the top rookie quarterback prospects from the 2024 NFL Draft.

Having improved to a record of 8-7, the top four rookie quarterback prospects are likely to be off the board before the LA Rams ever step up to the podium. For that matter, some mock drafts project five of the top offensive tackles, four of the top wide receivers, and five of the top edge rushers to be gone as well.

If you have a favorite top-tier rookie prospect who you hope falls to the LA Rams at their current projected draft order as the 23rd selection in Round 1, you may be disappointed if you fixate on one player or postion. If the Rams continue to improve, their overall draft order will fall even further.

That is not to say that there will not be talented prospects on the draft board when the LA Rams step up to the podium on Day 1 or Day 2. But it's quite clear that unless the Rams are willing to deal multiple first round picks to climb the order to get into range of a Top-3 quarterback, no 2024 quarterback who is projected to be NFL-ready on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

If the Rams believe that Stetson Bennett is not a lost cause, and merely needed to hit the reset button on his development, than the Rams scouts and personnel execs needn't plan for a contingency if the Rams are unable to extend veteran QB Carson Wentz.

IV: Rams 2023 rookie class is built on long-shots who love to play football

While rookie QB Stetson Bennett is one of the most obvious players who did not meet expectations in his rookie year, he is most certainly not the only young player who needs time to get up to the level of NFL competition.

In the 2023 NFL Draft, the LA Rams were able to land two defenders who lead all rookies at their respective positions in Round 3 by selecting OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner. The Rams added a road-grading offensive guard by selecting IOL Steve Avila in Round 2. The Rams added a record setting wide receiver in Round 5 by adding WR Puka Nacua. And the Rams added a cannon-footed punter in Round 7 by selecting P Ethan Evans. Not only has Evans handled punting for the Rams far in excess of lofty expectations, but he handles the kickoff duties as well.

And Evans has an 88.5 percent touchback percentage on his kickoffs. That's pretty good for a punter.

However the Rams adjusted their draft vetting process for 2023, it's impossible to argue the point that the Rams were merely blindly tossing darts at a dart board. All in all, the Rams rookie class of 2023 is about as excellent of a rookie class that the Rams organization has known, and this is still their first year of NFL competition.

Have we all been so overwhelmed with how well some rookies have performed for the Rams right out of the gate that we have lost our perspective on just how difficult the process can be for rookies to adjust to life in the NFL?

Bennett did not 'flop' so far. In fact, in his first preseason game he exhibited many of the characteristics of a successful NFL quarterback. Whether he was physically injured or mentally exhausted, his final preseason game did not go as well as planned. If the sequence of preseason games occured in reverse order, analysts would have concluded that Bennett had made rapid progress.

But either way, he showed enough promise to warrant developing his skills further.

III: Don't question his mental toughness

The worst mistake that anyone can make right now is to accuse Stetson Bennett of not meeting some arbitrary threshold of mental toughness, and citing that subjective argument to justify concluding that Bennett is not up to the Rams level to play quarterback.

In a word? Baloney.

If Stetson Bennett did indeed need time away from the NFL to address non-physical medical issues, than he has far more mental toughness than the average person. The stigma associated with anyone who needs help from the behavioral medicine arena is enough to ward off practically everyone. While we do not know why Bennett has been away from the game, let's eliminate the bias shown towards anyone who seeks help from professionals.

Whether due to grieving from a lost loved one, to the mental fatigue caused by daily competition, the expectation that NFL players are rock solid day in and day out is a myth. NFL players, just like anyone on the planet earth, face matters that can trigger depression, dependency and addiction, loss of confidence, and a host of other 'greater than I can handle' behavioral health concerns that simply need the aid from a trained and licensed professional.

Yet somehow, seeking that level of help remains viewed as weak, undisciplined, or not mentally tough. The truth is that it is quite the opposite.

Need proof? There is plenty of research on the matter. Here is one informative article entitled: 13 Reasons Why An Athlete Should See a Mental Health Sports Therapist. As if that is not enough, here is another solid article that lists ways that counselors can aid all athletes' competitive performances. Developments in sports medicine continue to compile evidence that a healthy mind is one of the key ingredients to a successful professional sports career.

Just like working out to sustain physical health, counselors cand train athletes in proper techniques to sustain mental health.

II: Bennett has beaten the odds throughout his football career

If you had followed the football career of quarterback Steton Bennett, you know that he was a walk-on football player at the University of Georgia who led the Georgia Bulldogs to not one, but two, NCAA National Championships. That's almost impossible to accomplish.

And yet, many NFL pundits, analysts, and commentators found themselves scratching their heads after the LA Rams named Stetson Bennett as their selection in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Rams clearly valued Bennett's passion for the game, and his ability to lead his team to the pinnacle of success in NCAA football.

You simply cannot coach a player to acquire the Eye of the Tiger like Stetson Bennett has demonstrated to possess. That is why the LA Rams were so attracted to him in the first place when the Rams added him to the roster.

Have things gone according to the script so far? Of couse not. But in any competitive sport, the learning curve for each newcomer is completely different. Even the best and most rapidly developing rookies do not progress on a straight line. There are frequent setbacks that require the team and the player to pause, address the new challenge, and then move forward once more.

I: Rams HC Sean McVay loves Stetson Bennett

Perhaps the most likely reason that the LA Rams will try very hard to salvage young quarterback Stetson Bennett's career is the fact that Rams HC Sean McVay loves what Bennett brings to the quarterback position. It's clear to any fan who has listened to Coach McVay over the past few years that McVay loves competitors on the roster.

And that is exactly what McVay loves about Stetson Bennett, and has said so in his own words in multiple interviews:

But does Stetson Bennett really have what it takes to make a difference in this Rams offense? Well, let's consider some facts. Coach McVay has long sought a dual-threat quarterback option for his offense, and has tried to address that with backup quarterbacks John Wolford and Bryce Perkins in the past.

But neither Wolford or Perkins had the level of success, the ability to improvise, or the mindset to win that was necessary to own complete command of this Rams offense. Now, let's layer in the reports from training camp that proved Bennett to have the wherewithal to push all of the buttons and pull all of the levers necessary to make the offense go.

The Rams clearly filled the roster with 'the right kind of men' for success in 2023. Stetson Bennett was among those right kind of men to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Let's not rush to write him out of the Rams' future because he had suffered a setback in his first NFL season.