Fragility of 5 Rams veterans can open door for backups to earn starting roles

Bennett may be far better than you think

Well, the most obvious flaw in the team's coverage at backup quarterback falls in Weeks 1 and 2, when Garoppolo will be forced to serve his two-game suspension. As we noted above, Jimmy Garoppolo has been tarnished throughout his NFL career with a multitude of injuries. While he has enjoyed substantial success when he plays, the greater challenge is keeping him healthy enough to play.

While unlikely, if Matthew Stafford suffers an injury that forces him to miss a substantial number of games, Garoppolo is not exactly an ironman award candidate. So even in a backup quarterback role, the team has to consider the chance that Garoppolo himself could fall to injury.

That places the reins of this high-powered offense into the hands of the now refreshed hands of second-year quarterback Stetson Bennett. Does that give you cause for concern? It shouldn't. While we only have the three rookie preseason games to base opinions on, keep in mind that the Rams do not start starters in preseason games. As players demonstrated that they would be included in the team's 53-man roster, they sat out preseason games. Bennett was forced to compete with a dynamically depleting roster. Is it any wonder that he struggled more and more as the preseason progressed?

As soon as rookie WR Puka Nacua stopped competing in preseason games, Bennett's ability seemed to regress. But was it him, or the result of trying to do more with less on-field talent?

Nobody has seen Bennett run the starting offense beyond the coaching staff, and they were more than happy to welcome Bennett back to the team. The front office ignored the backup quarterback position entirely in the 2024 NFL Draft, despite the presence of many talented hurlers on the draft board. As a result, nobody knows how effectively he can run the starting offense. If we are to believe camp reports from 2023 and early reports from OTAs in 2024, he is very adept at making great throws and leading the offense.