Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett faced an uncertain future after the 2023 season, with questions about whether or not he’d make an NFL return. Fortunately, there’s a positive update on the Georgia Bulldogs quarterback.
Bennett, the 128th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was a top target for general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay last year. However, after playing in the preseason, he stepped away from football for personal reasons and was placed on the non-football illness list.
- Stetson Bennett NFL stats (preseason): 36-of-62 (58.1 percent completion rate), 347 passing yards, 5.6 yards per attempt, 1 passing touchdown, 3 interceptions, 4 sacks
Bennett spent his entire rookie season away from the NFL. In January, McVay admitted there was no timeline for a return and the team provided little update on whether or not their former fourth-round pick would be with the team this summer.
Will Stetson Bennett return to the Rams?
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Owners Meetings, the Rams’ general manager announced that the team has a commitment from Bennett “at this point” and the plan is for the quarterback to return to the team as a participant for offseason workouts.
“What we’ve done is, Dave Ragone, our new quarterback coach, had a relationship with Stetson from last year’s draft, being in Atlanta, so I know Dave’s step one was him connecting with Stetson and rekindling their relationship. I know he’s in Dallas working out. I know Dave has shown some clips of Stetson working out at the place where, I’m pretty sure it’s where he trained coming out, but I know it’s in Dallas. So he’s looking good. So right now our plan is to onboard him for our offseason workouts.”
Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead on quarterback Stetson Bennett (H/T TheRams.com)
Bennett still faces an uphill climb in his NFL return. A year off from football for non-injury reasons has been shown to result in a slower transition period for players, as demonstrated by the likes of Deshaun Watson and Calvin Ridley. However, Bennett has been training in Dallas throughout the offseason with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer and seems to be in good football shape.
Even if Bennett is physically ready for offseason camp in Los Angeles, he will be competing to be the Rams’ third-string quarterback in 2024. Los Angeles is committed to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as its backup, leaving Bennett for third-string duties. While his draft status makes it a likelier bet he keeps the roster, not every NFL team uses one of its 53-man roster spots on a third quarterback. However, the positive news is that Bennett is working his way back towards an NFL return and wants an opportunity to prove himself.
More must-reads: