Stetson Bennett success could have tremendous ripple effects for Rams future

He was selected with the 128th overall pick in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. After hearing his name called out by the Los Angeles Rams, Stetson Bennett instantly entered the running to become a successor to veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, leading them to two successive national championships. He is not particularly gifted athletically. And as such, he is either forgotten or dismissed in NFL conversations.

Quarterback Stetson Bennett is entering his third Rams training camp. If some Rams fans have their way, this will be his last camp. But that's nothing new for Bennett. After stepping away from the game in 2023, those same fans have lobbied hard for the team to dismiss Bennett for a year. Still, there he is on the Rams' depth chart. He plays behind starting QB Matthew Stafford and veteran backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo. But to be fair, any young quarterback drafted in the past three years would find himself in the same spot on the depth chart.

It's ironic that in the year in which both Rams GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay discussed a quarterback succession plan, the team finds itself in the same quarterback configuration as a year ago. Of course, the 2025 NFL Draft was not touted for QB rookies. This draft was flush with talent at other positions.

Still, the Rams met with multiple rookie quarterback prospects.

I suspect that the Rams pivoted from drafting a rookie quarterback in 2025 to 2026 as soon as the team acquired a Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from the Atlanta Falcons. But another byproduct of that trade is competing for playing time in the 2025 Rams training camp. Stetson Bennett is still on the Rams roster, and he is as competitive as ever.

This is not the first rodeo that Bennett has been to. He was a walk-on for the Georgia Bulldogs and did not necessarily get a warm reception in college either. But he is a determined individual, a true competitor who seems to reach a new level of performance as the lights get brighter and the stage gets bigger.

He is 5-foot-11. He weighs 190 pounds. He runs a 4.67-second 40-yard dash. But when it comes to playing the game of football, he is not the guy you want to face. He is a winner. He will do whatever it takes and whatever is humanly possible to win.

Just check out his college achievements.

When Rams GM Les Snead first discussed drafting Stetson Bennett, you could interpret from his words and tonal reflections that Bennett was just one more college player in the queue. But once Snead saw his footage, he realized that Bennett is more than a game manager surrounded by stars.

Bennett is that spark of competition that ignites teammates. He is the unquantifiable wildcard. When it comes to playing football, success hinges on talent, preparation, and motivation. Bennett is the guy who inspires the entire team.

And now, he is fighting for a roster spot with the Rams one more.

Stetson Bennett was out of football for most of 2023

I don't know that bad impressions about Stetson Bennett's upside are necessarily off-base. After all, the window of public exhibition of his football form and production has been limited to preseason games. He has competed in five games. Because the Rams sit starters and key rotational players. He has taken the football field with backups, third-stringers, and players who would be released from the roster.

He faced other NFL teams, many do not sit starters for preseason games. At least, not for all of it. So, how did Stetson Bennett do?

• 2023 - Game 1 | 17 of 29 passes, 191 yards, 1 TD | 2 run, 2 yards
• 2023 - Game 2 | 15 of 24 passes, 142 yards, 1 INT | 1 run, 4 yards
• 2023 - Game 3 | 4 of 9 passes, 14 yards, 2 INTs
• 2024 - Game 1 | 24 of 38 passes, 224 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs | 1 run, 5 yards
• 2024 - Game 2 | 17 of 31 passes, 213 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 3 runs, (-1) yards

You can find whatever you want to find in Bennett's limited work. Preseason is about airing it out and fixing mistakes that show up. Yes, Stetson Bennett threw eight interceptions in five preseason games, but he was working behind a makeshift offensive line and throwing to receivers who might not make the team. As players proved themselves, they were pulled from other preseason games. Puka Nacua played just one preseason game. Bennett has to play all three games in 2023.

Bennett walked away after the 2023 preseason. After struggling in his final preseason game, the effort to compete for a spot on the Rams' bench seemed anticlimactic. While he stepped away from the game, perhaps he saved himself from being outright cut or signed to the practice squad, where another team might poach him.

However, it may have turned out, only one thing is certain. He returned to the Rams training camp and was more determined than ever. And of course, he had to be on his best behavior. He was on a short leash as far as the team was concerned.

He was rusty in the 2024 preseason games that he played, but he did manage to engineer the game-winning drives in both preseason games he played. In terms of preseason passers, he was runner-up to Dallas Cowboys QB Trey Lance, despite only playing two preseason games.

Thanks to Bennett's passing prowess, both Rams WRs Xavier Smith and Jordan Whittington ended the 2024 preseason among the top five NFL receivers in terms of number of receptions.

Stetson Bennett is taking nothing for granted

The Los Angeles Rams are not stuck on any quarterback path at the moment. Even as the team reformed the same quarterback room as in 2024, there are differences. Jimmy Garoppolo is not subject to a two-game suspension to open the season. That means that the Rams could opt to go with just two quarterbacks in 2025.

At the same time, Stetson Bennett is not coming back from a year's hiatus. He not only competed all season long, but he had all of 2024 to work with and learn form the coaches, his quarterback teammates, and to get his body in even better shape.

I am not among the Stetson Bennett nay-sayers. He has proven to beat the odds throughout his football career, and I expect he will do so again. It's not due to Next Gen Stats. Rather, it's simply the fact that Stetson Bennett's track record is a series of overcoming the odds. And it's no coincidence that the odds always seem to work against him.

Bennett did not know who he would be competing against in the 2025 Rams training camp. But he had to prepare for the Rams to draft a young rookie who would instantly become the presumed successor to Matthew Stafford. If he wants to avoid that outcome, he likely has one last chance to wow the coaches. And he intends to do so.

Competitors not only compete. They win. Right now, you should expect a much better version of Stetson Bennett to show up for the Rams in 2025.

If Bennett performs well, everybody wins. The Rams hold two Round 1 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Wouldn't it be incredible if neither pick was needed to select a rookie quarterback? Let's hope for the best.

It was Bennett who showcased rookie Puka Nacua to the NFL in the 2023 preseason. It was Bennett who showcased Xavier Smith and Jordan Whittington to the NFL in the 2024 preseason. Who will Bennett showcase in the 2025 preseason?

I understand that some do not believe that Stetson Bennett is a viable solution for the Rams at the quarterback position. Still, the Rams benefit greatly if he is more than just a backup QB whose NFL career is defined on the bench.

As always, thanks for reading.

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