Rams Roster: Fast 40+ LA Rams roster roundup QB Stetson Bennett (#4)

When the LA Rams completed a very grueling 2022 NFL season, it was not a season without some value. Sometimes lessons can be costly, but but all the more valuable. Such was the case when the LA Rams lost the play of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford for the final eight games of the season.

It was a difficult time for both the team and the fans. It would have been absolutely nightmarish if not for the arrival of free-agent quarterback Baker Mayfield. Despite the fact that the Rams season was all but over, Mayfield under center added a lot of fun back into the LA Rams offense. First, there was the game affectionately known as the Mayfield Miracle, an instant comeback classic that featured the Rams offense coming alive in the fourth quarter to shock the Las Vegas Raiders with a win.

The Rams repeated their unlikely late-season rally by stomping a mudhole in the Denver Broncos, and in doing so, set the wheels in motion for the Broncos to eventually hire new head coach Sean Payton. But along the way, the Rams learned that a backup quarterback is not a luxury, but a necessary investment into a team that hopes to weather adversity.

Rams Mayfield became 2023 template for backup QB

Mayfield would seek a starting role in the NFL via free agency, but the lesson learned by the Rams organization would be a more permanent lesson.

In rifling through the Rams depth chart to find a player who could give the LA Rams battered and bruised team a chance of success, the Rams coaching staff and front office gained valuable experience in something this team had never had to face before: Losing.

The Rams learned that the right backup quarterback is like a parachute pack in an airplane. You pray that you never need it. But when you do, it's the only thing that saves you from a terrifying free fall. And so, the Rams reset their strategy, determined to prioritize their backup quarterback position, and pivoted to the 2023 NFL Draft to shop for a rookie passer.