How Rams engineered FMIA's "Underrated trade of the weekend"

Payoff for drafting Stetson Bennett may be better than you think

Okay, the LA Rams just grabbed a buy who will likely spend the majority of his rookie season on the bench. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's a very good thing simply from the practical perspective that for every week Bennett is on the bench, LA Rams starting veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing.

And the backup quarterback from his Alma Mater, former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, has another week to observe, analyze, and learn from one of the NFL's best quarterbacks playing today. Bennett is a quarterback who loves to improvise, extend plays, and take his shots downfield. In fact, former Rams legend Kurt Warner does a master job analyzing Bennett's game, and he seems to love Stetson Bennett's fit in this LA Rams offense.

Investing in backup QB is just good business

The LA Rams have treated the backup quarterback role as pocket change. It has not gotten the attention or the investment necessary to make it work for the team. And, curiously, the Rams are missing out on a great source for future draft capital by neglecting the position. Here is what it comes down to:

If so many NFL teams poach the LA Rams coaching staff to grab a chance of grafting the Rams offensive strategy into their own football organization, imagine the market for the quarterback who knows and runs that offense, and wins in it?

I'm not suggesting that the Rams trade Stetson Bennett at any time in his rookie contract. But if the LA Rams front office is okay with letting so many other players walk away in free agency for future awarded compensatory draft picks, then they are completely missing the mother lode of comp picks that could come their way by developing viable quarterbacks today and letting them sign monster contracts elsewhere.

In Peter King's opinion, the LA Rams engineered FMIA's "Underrated trade of the weekend." And I tend to agree with him. But traveling that line of thinking even further, I am starting to appreciate this pick even more. Will it all pan out for the Rams? Perhaps, and perhaps not. But I love the direction that this team is taking right now.

I like the fit of Stetson Bennet in the Rams quarterback room. He has the ability to deliver in a pinch like Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Garner Mindshew, has done in his NFL career. That is simply not something the Rams have had on their roster for many years.