Rams GM says Stetson Bennett needed 'a break from the game' during rookie season

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While Matthew Stafford was and remains entrenched as the Los Angeles Rams' starting quarterback, the team last year used a fourth-round draft pick on two-time College Football Playoff national championship-winning quarterback Stetson Bennett.

The former Georgia Bulldogs star was expected to be Stafford's backup during his rookie season and the foreseeable future. But Bennett was missing in action during the majority of his rookie campaign, leaving observers with more questions than answers. 

He sat out of the season opener with a shoulder injury. A few days later, he landed on the non-football injury list. At the time, the Rams were tight-lipped about the decision to change Bennett's roster status.

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Quarterback Stetson Bennett of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High Aug. 26, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

"There are certain things that I think are a little bit bigger and more important, and out of respect for the particulars and the specifics, [I] want to be able to keep it in-house," Rams coach Sean McVay in September when asked about Bennett.

Bennett is now back with the team, and he appears to be on the path to competing for the backup role. The Rams signed veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo in March, but he will miss the first two games of the season. The 32-year-old was suspended for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

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