Matthew Stafford’s back soreness has kept the veteran QB off the field for the Los Angeles Rams thus far through camp, and while he is crucial to the success of the team this season, his absence has allowed some other players to shine in relief. Third-year QB Stetson Bennett, who may be playing for a roster spot this year, is one of those players. According to Sports Illustrated, Bennett has been lights out thus far in camp, specifically noting how he has cut down on bad decision making in the pass
game.
When asked about Bennett’s improvement this year, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was not shy with his praise:
“How much time you got? [Laughter] Like I said the other day, he’s grown up so much,” stated LaFleur. “He’s in such a good spot mentally. [Quarterbacks Coach] Dave Ragone and the quarterback shave done an awesome job collectively of just being one cohesive group and learning off each other. The meetings that we have, the discussions are just collaborative and organic. He’s had great command of the huddle compared to what it used to be, but what I think is even better is when that ball snaps, he’s just playing so fast.”
“He has a knack, you can see it from his college film, and it’s coming through here in year three. He has a knack of space and feeling space, when to speed up his drops and when to tempo it down. What’s been most impressive, particularly the first few days when he was going against the one defense a lot, that pocket is collapsed and he just knows where his outlets are. Hey, don’t make a bad play worse. He’s done a great job of that. He continues to stack days. He’s going to get a lot of ops in the preseason, which will be great for him.”
Bennett has been a bit of an enigma since entering the league. After being selected in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, many expected him to go into the season as the team’s top backup quarterback. Instead, Bennett was forced to step away for his entire rookie year, and while the exact reasoning was kept in house by the team, the consensus belief is that the young quarterback was dealing with some mental health issues at the time of his absence.
Fast forward to 2025 and Bennett now could find himself as a surprise cut candidate if the Rams do not feel the need to carry three quarterbacks. A strong summer and preseason would go a long way in making a case for a spot on the active roster. So far, it sounds like Bennett has been doing all the right things. It was noted that he was showing off his playmaking ability, while at the same time, noticeably cutting down on turnover issues that plagued him in 2024.
Head coach Sean McVay has never been one to play his starters in the preseason, and considering that starting QB Matthew Stafford has been out of practice with back soreness already, Bennett should get a ton of playing time to show what he can do through the team’s three exhibition games. If the young quarterback can get back to the level of play that won him national championships in college, he might just be able to convince the team to believe in the potential they original saw in him again.
More from turfshowtimes.com:
- 2018 NFL Draft top 50 big board
- Random Ramsdom 1/11: the future is here
- Evaluating the Los Angeles Rams trade for WR Sammy Watkins: Was it worth it?
- 2018 NFL Mock Draft has Los Angeles Rams’ needs in full view
- 2018 NFL Mock Draft keeps LA Rams pinned to cornerback in round 1
- Random Ramsdom 1/10: QB Coaching change
- Report: Los Angeles Rams to play in Mexico in 2018 (UPDATED)
