Sean McVay changed things up in the Rams’ preseason finale last weekend, starting Dresser Winn at quarterback after Stetson Bennett played every snap of the first two games. The reason? Bennett won the backup quarterback job for Weeks 1 and 2 while Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended, so he didn’t want to risk any potential injury occurring.
When he told Bennett the news that he wouldn’t be playing in last Saturday’s game, Bennett didn’t fully understand why.
“People were telling me, ‘Congrats,’” Bennett said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “And I was like, ‘What for?’ I wanted to play.
“Then I was like, ‘OK, I guess this means.’”
Bennett’s promotion to QB2 will be temporary until Garoppolo returns in Week 3. At that point, it’s unclear what the Rams will do. They could keep both backups behind Matthew Stafford, which would give them three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Or, they may choose to cut Bennett in hopes of signing him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
That’s a conversation for another time because for now, he’s just excited about the opportunity.
The Rams hope he doesn’t have to take a single snap in the first two games because if he does, that would mean Stafford got hurt. As confident as they are in Bennett, they’re obviously a much better team with Stafford under center.