Stetson Bennett was the first quarterback drafted by the Los Angeles Rams during their head coach Sean McVay’s seven seasons in charge. The HC raved about the signal-caller several times and said he would work to make Bennett an elite player in the NFL.
However, things didn’t go according to Sean’s lofty expectations, and his rookie star has suffered a setback amid the regular season. Now, the coach has something to say about the latest development team’s fourth-round pick from Georgia.
Rams HC talks about Stetson Bennett’s absence
Stetson Bennett was selected as the backup QB to the LA Rams starter Matthew Stafford in their 53-man roster. However, he witnessed a major setback by missing their season-opening victory against the Seattle Seahawks due to a right shoulder injury. On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay said the franchise would place him on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Due to this move, the young star is going to miss at least the Rams’ next four games this year. However, the team’s coach stayed tight-lipped, and didn’t shed light on any details about the reason for the move with the signal-caller.
“There are certain things that I think are a little bit bigger and more important, and out of respect for him and the situation, I am going to leave all the specifics and particulars in-house. And I want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation, so I am not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I will give in that regards.”
The #Rams have placed rookie QB Stetson Bennett on the reserve/NFI list, taking him off the active roster.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2023
"Out of respect for him and the situation, I’m going to leave all of those specifics and particulars in-house." — coach Sean McVay.
The 25-year-old started two of the Rams’ preseason games, but later sustained injury before the season-opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Before heading to the NFL, he led the Georgia Bulldogs to consecutive national titles by securing a phenomenal victory over TCU at SoFi Stadium last year.
The dual-threat led Georgia to a 28–1 record between 2021 and 2022. He finished in fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2022, and also won the accolade of the Manning Award as the nation’s top collegiate QB.
Brett Rypien to replace Stetson Bennett as backup QB
Following Bennett’s move, McVay said they decided to let Brett Rypien move up from the practice squad to take the backup role once again.
“The fortunate thing for us is that Brett Rypien has been in-house. He’s on our practice squad. He was the backup last week, and he’s going to continue to be in that situation until anything changes on that note,” the coach said.
Rookie QB Stetson Bennett is going on the Rams' non-football injury list, and Sean McVay didn't want to say why. Brett Rypien is LA's backup QB now: https://t.co/C3VoGMOdjW
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 13, 2023
Matthew Stafford, who led the franchise to an incredible win over Seattle on Sunday, also provided his take on the move, and vowed to work effectively with his current backup player in the regular season.
“Got a lot of love for Stetson. Appreciate him as a teammate, and Brett (Rypien) and I will roll with it as we go on.”
Rypien signed with the Rams back in May but was released following their 53-man roster cut last month. However, they later signed him to their practice squad. Before starting his journey with the LA Rams, the 27-year-old played eight games with the Denver Broncos and started three games over the previous three seasons.
What’s your take on this move of the Rams? Tell us in the comments.
