QB Stetson Bennett is taking football one day at a time, and very seriously

When the LA Rams drafted former two-time NCAA football National Champion quarterback Stetson Bennett, the team was excited to land the former Georgia QB. While he was not originally in their line-of-sight for the 2023 NFL Draft, the more scouts and personnel executives saw from the young man, the more they realized that Bennett was not a game-manager.

But he fell off the team's radar scope in 2023.

Second-year quarterback Stetson Bennett may be off the radar, but he is not kicking back on some tropical beach, drinking Mai Tais. Rather, he is working hard to bulk up, restart his NFL career, and get ready for the 2024 NFL football season.

While some LA Rams may be guilty of Bennett Fatigue (you know, because he has not contributed to the team, so the reaction is an emotionally charged indignance that he is getting any updates over his status), he remains on the team's roster. As such, he deserves his moment. Some fans want to stay informed of his status. After all, while the team may not know his status, he remains on the Rams roster until he no longer is.

Stetson Bennett controls the information that the public knows about him. But it's the LA Rams who control his status with the team. Despite rhetoric that suggests that the team's patience is wearing thin, Bennett remains under contract with the team through 2026. For comparison purposes, the team has gotten no contribution from interior offensive lineman Logan Bruss either, and he has been on the team's roster for two years.

Teams must motivate players in various ways. Some like to be patted on the back and encouraged. But others respond more decisively when told that they cannot do something.

There is a story about veteran head coach Bill Parcells's method of motivating them starting inside linebacker Brian Cox. Fearing that Cox had either lost a step or was just going through the motions, Coach Parcells said nothing to his defensive leader. He placed an empty gas can in his locker. Parcells placed a note on the can, asking: "Anything left in the tank?" That was all Cox needed, as he got the message and began to show up in a big way after that hint.

We can't know what Stetson Bennett faced, or faces. All we can do is let his actions speak for his intentions. He has a great opportunity to have a career in the game that he loves. But it takes work. Lots and lots of work. If he is indeed working out now, getting stronger, and prepared to start the Rams training camp in the best football shape of his life, then I am all for it.

Regardless of what some fans think, and are more than willing to express about the guy, the LA Rams have every reason to work with Bennett this season to see how far he can grow and develop into an NFL quarterback. Is it fair for the team to declare that they do not have a true backup quarterback on the roster? Absolutely. Football is a competitive sport, and roles and playing time must be earned, constantly.

Stetson Bennett understands all of that. That is why he is working so vigorously to return to the team in great shape, and stronger than ever. Like many aspects of the LA Rams, I will withhold judgment until I see what he looks like on the football field this season.