Tag: stetson bennett

Stetson Bennett’s career path takes another weird turn

Rams 4th round rookie QB Stetson Bennett’s career has taken another strange path by being placed on the reserve/NFI list after Week 1

Stetson Bennett was one of the more interesting quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. The two-time national champion starter from Georgia had an unconventional route to the NFL.

Now it seems he’s also getting an unconventional exit one week into his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Bennett’s path to being a fourth-round pick by the Rams included two separate stints at Georgia — the second of which he nearly ended with a separate transfer to Louisiana — losing his job at least twice and skipping the Senior Bowl only to be arrested for public intoxication at 6 a.m. during the week. Bennett still earned the draft slot for his gutsy perseverance, clutch performances in big games and easy charisma.

His time in the sun as Matthew Stafford’s backup ended abruptly on Wednesday when the Rams placed Bennett on the reserve/non-football illness list. Head coach Sean McVay had this to say about the unusual roster move, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:

“Out of respect for him and the situation, I’m going to leave all of those specifics and particulars in-house. Want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation. I’m not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I’ll give in that regard … That’s all I’m going to say, and I really hope that you can please respect my wishes in regards to keeping that in-house. I understand you have a job to do, but there are certain things that are a lot bigger and more important. Out of respect for the particulars and the specifics, I want to be able to keep it in-house and that’s where I’d like to leave it, please.”

It is not related to a shoulder injury that bothered the 25-year-old Bennett in the offseason. Bennett will miss at least four weeks after being placed on the reserve/NFI list. McVay’s ominously ambiguous statement indicates that Bennett’s absence could last longer than that.

Nothing has ever come easy for Bennett along the way, not as a 5-foot-11 walk-on with an average (at best) arm. His latest roadblock might be the end of a long, strange football trip. Or, as he’s proved several times in the past, it could just another unexpected curve on the way to success.

Rams signing QB Brett Rypien to 53-man roster with Stetson Bennett on NFI list

With Stetson Bennett on the NFI list, the Rams are signing Brett Rypien to the active roster as Matthew Stafford’s backup

It didn’t take long for Brett Rypien to make his way onto the Rams’ 53-man roster after being cut before Week 1. After Los Angeles placed Stetson Bennett on the non-football illness list Wednesday, the team is signing Rypien to the active roster from the practice squad, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Rypien will once again back up Matthew Stafford this week when the Rams host the 49ers on Sunday.

Sean McVay did not want to share any details on the nature of Bennett’s absence, requesting multiple times during Wednesday’s press conference to leave the issue alone. All we know is Bennett’s absence is not because of the shoulder injury he’s been dealing with.

Rypien spent the entire offseason with the Rams before landing on the practice squad, operating as the No. 3 quarterback behind Stafford and Bennett. He has a good grasp of the offense, so the Rams are leaning on him as the backup for now.

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Rams place Stetson Bennett on reserve/non-football injury list

Former UGA football quarterback Stetson Bennett will miss the next four weeks due to being on the NFI list

The Los Angeles Rams placed former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett on the reserve/non-football injury list. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay would not provide details on Bennett’s situation.

The Los Angeles Rams ruled Bennett out in Week 1 due to a right shoulder injury. However, McVay shared that Bennett is being placed on the non-football injury list for reasons outside of his shoulder injury.

Bennett had an up-and-down preseason for the Rams, but made Los Angeles’ final roster. The former Georgia Bulldog capped his college football career with back-to-back national championships.

Brett Rypien, who is a member of the Rams’ practice squad, served as Los Angeles’ backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford in Week 1.

Bennett was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft. He was expected to be the Rams’ backup quarterback when healthy, but he will have to miss at least four weeks since he is on the reserve/non-football injury list.

McVay adamantly refused to note the exact reason Bennett was on the non-football injury list.

I really hope that you can please respect my wishes in regards to keeping that in-house. I understand you have a job to do, but there’s certain things that I think are a little bit bigger and more important and out of respect for the particulars and specifics, want to be able to keep it in-house and that’s where I’d like to leave it, please.

The Rams are 1-0 in 2023 after finishing third in the NFC West with a 5-12 record last year.

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Los Angeles plays the San Fransisco 49ers in Week 2.

Rams were ‘adamant’ about not trading Matt Stafford amid offseason fire sale

While Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey and several other key players left Los Angeles, the team reportedly remained adamant about not trading Matt Stafford.

The Rams had little choice but to blow up their roster this past offseason as the bill came due from their all-in 2021 Super Bowl season. While Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey and several other key players left Los Angeles, the team reportedly remained adamant about not trading Matt Stafford.

This comes via a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL.com, who says the Jets reached out about Stafford before they acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Packers. Apparently it was a short conversation.

“Talks between New York and Los Angeles were brief, simple and to the point. As two sources explained, the Rams were adamant Stafford wasn’t going anywhere. The talks between the two teams were more exploratory than anything else with L.A. showing no willingness to do a deal, but the Jets didn’t want to leave a stone unturned in their quest for a franchise QB.”

The Jets weren’t the only team to call about Stafford, though. It made some sense for the Rams to try to trade Stafford based on his age (he’s 35 years old heading into the 2023 season) and what’s now a pretty extensive history of minor injuries. He missed half of last year with several different issues and wasn’t himself when he was on the field. However, Stafford still represents their best chance to remain relatively competitive in a division with two teams that are clearly superior.

If Stafford does get injured again, the Rams will likely look to former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. He’s unavailable for today’s game against the Seahawks, though due to a shoulder injury.

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McVay: Cooper Kupp, Stetson Bennett going on IR is a ‘definite possibility’

Sean McVay said it’s a “definite possibility” that Cooper Kupp, Stetson Bennett and Hunter Long will go on IR

Cooper Kupp, Stetson Bennett and Hunter Long have all been ruled out for the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but they’re also in danger of missing more time.

Sean McVay said on Friday that there’s a “definite possibility” that they could each land on injured reserve, which would sideline them for at least four games. Kupp has a hamstring injury, Bennett has a shoulder issue and Long is still dealing with a thigh injury.

The Rams have to make that decision by Saturday afternoon if they want those players to only miss the first four games of the season, rather than pushing it off for another week and sidelining them through Week 5.

It’s a big decision, particularly for Kupp, because it would open up a roster spot if any of the three is placed on injured reserve.

Kupp injured his hamstring in early August and suffered a setback last week, which McVay says isn’t in line with the expected recovery timetable for a hamstring injury like that.

At the very least, it seems the Rams will be without Kupp for the first two games of the season and potentially even longer.

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Rams may sign a QB with Stetson Bennett (shoulder) a candidate for IR

Sean McVay said the Rams have been talking about signing a quarterback with Stetson Bennett injured

It isn’t just Cooper Kupp who’s injured for the Los Angeles Rams this week. Stetson Bennett, the only other quarterback on the 53-man roster, is also hurt and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks due to a shoulder injury.

Brett Rypien will be called up from the practice squad this week to replace Bennett but the Rams may need a longer-term plan at quarterback behind Matthew Stafford. Sean McVay said Bennett’s shoulder injury has been lingering for a few weeks and he wouldn’t rule out surgery, adding that the Rams are “talking about” signing a quarterback, “but for this week we will not.”

“That would be something that I got to get some more information,” McVay said of whether Bennett’s shoulder will heal with rest or if it needs surgery. “It’s been something that’s kind of been lingering a little bit and so it could be in alignment with what we’ve talked about as it relates to Hunter (Long) and Cooper, even though it’s a little bit of a different thing with his shoulder but we’re trying to get some more information. But in the meantime, he’s going to be out.”

Bennett played all three preseason games so it’s unclear when this shoulder issue popped up, but it’s obviously serious enough for McVay to say “he’s going to be out” and to even consider injured reserve.

If the Rams are looking for a veteran quarterback to fill in for the time being, Colt McCoy is still available so he could be an option. Though it would make more sense to simply promote Rypien to the active roster and sign someone like McCoy to the practice squad.

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Stetson Bennett was the lowest-graded QB in the NFL this preseason

Stetson Bennett had the lowest grade of any quarterback this preseason, which isn’t the way he hoped to start his career

Stetson Bennett had plenty of doubters coming out of Georgia, but the Los Angeles Rams showed faith in the undersized quarterback when they took him in the fourth round of the draft. The Rams love how successful he was in college and his combination of accuracy and athleticism, but he hasn’t exactly gotten off to the best start in the NFL.

Bennett played all three preseason games and threw 62 passes, so his opportunities were certainly there. Unfortunately, the results were poor. According to Pro Football Focus, Bennett was the lowest-graded quarterback in the NFL this preseason, earning an overall mark of 29.5. The next-closest quarterback who had at least 19 drop-backs was P.J. Walker, who had a PFF grade of 41.2 this preseason and has already been cut by the Bears.

Bennett finished the preseason with a completion rate of 58.1% and just one touchdown pass compared to three interceptions. What drove Bennett’s grade down significantly was his decision-making. His six turnover-worthy plays were tied with Jake Haener for the most of any quarterback, so he was actually lucky to have just three interceptions.

Coincidentally, former Rams quarterback John Wolford had the highest passing grade (87.5) of all quarterbacks this preseason, completing 66.7% of his passes for 168 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

Three preseason games won’t decide the future of Bennett’s career, but it’s hard not to be disappointed by his performance this summer. If there’s one thing he must improve, it’s his decision-making. Too often he tried to force a throw, especially after staring down his receiver and leading the defender to the target.

Bennett isn’t going to be cut and he could still be the No. 2 quarterback, but his preseason play might cause the Rams to keep Brett Rypien on the roster, too.

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Reaction: Stetson Bennett has rough preseason finale

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett had a rough ending to the NFL preseason

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett capped off the NFL preseason with his worst performance of the preseason. Bennett and the Los Angeles Rams looked bad in a ugly 41-0 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Bennett completed 4 of 9 passes and threw for just 14 passing yards. Bennett threw a pair of interceptions on third down and was pulled from the game.

Bennett started his NFL preseason with a strong debut in Week 1. Bennett, who was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, had a more up-and-down performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.

In Week 3, no Los Angeles quarterback looked particularly sharp. Bennett’s main competition for the No. 2 role behind starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, Brett Rypien, completed 7 of 13 passes for 67 passing yards. Rypien threw no touchdowns or interceptions.

What was the reaction to Stetson Bennett’s preseason finale?

Fans are already losing faith in Rams QB Stetson Bennett after ugly game vs. Broncos

Stetson Bennett threw two ugly picks in the 1st half against the Broncos and fans are quickly losing faith in the rookie

Stetson Bennett had a large contingent of Rams fans excited after his preseason debut against the Chargers two weeks ago but the tide is quickly turning for the rookie quarterback. He threw a pick against the Raiders in Week 2 of the preseason and in the first half against the Broncos on Saturday night, things got even worse.

Bennett completed 4 of 9 passes for 19 yards, throwing two interceptions and taking one sack. He completed nearly as many passes to the Broncos (2) as he did to his Rams teammates (4), which is never a good sign.

The interceptions weren’t exactly deep shots where he was trying to be aggressive, either. They were terrible decisions where he stared down the receiver and threw into tight coverage without seeing the underneath defenders.

Fans on social media were frustrated by Bennett’s performance and they’re suddenly losing faith in the backup quarterback.

Reacting to Stetson Bennett’s performance in preseason Week 2

Former Georgia quarterback Bennett threw a costly pick-six, but bounced back and ran for a touchdown later in the game

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett had a strong NFL preseason debut last week. Bennett, who was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, followed last week’s game with a more up-and-down performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 34-17. Bennett played the majority of the game for a second straight week.

Bennett completed 15 of 24 passes and threw for 142 passing yards. Bennett threw a costly pick six, but bounced back and ran for a touchdown later in the game.

What were the top plays from Stetson Bennett’s performance? Who was to blame for his interception?