Could the 2024 season bring about the return of former fourth-round quarterback Stetson Bennett for the Los Angeles Rams?
"You know, I don't know that," Rams coach Sean McVay said on Wednesday when asked about Bennett's absence. "I think that's a conversation for another time. I think he's doing better, but I wouldn't be in a position to answer that accurately right now."
The former walk-on quarterback at the University of Georgia, who ended his storied college career leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships, hasn't been with the Rams since the conclusion of the preseason.
And even after being away from the team since then, McVay's latest comments don't provide much clarity on the status of the 26-year-old quarterback, who found himself in contention to be the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford.
However, after an up-and-down preseason, where Bennett's three appearances certainly had their highlights and even lowlights, he was expected to beat out Brett Rypien for the No. 2 quarterback role. Yet, his abrupt extended absence occurred due to an undisclosed off-the-field matter.
While this past season saw a relatively healthy Stafford lead them to an unexpected playoff berth with a 10-7 record, as he only missed one game due to injury, at 35 years old, they will surely want to eventually have his succession plan in place.
Whether or not Bennett can return to the team this offseason may have a major impact on how the Rams approach the quarterback position.
With Bennett sidelined for the year, the Rams relied on Brett Rypien to serve as Stafford's backup before he was released following the 20-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers, where an injury to Stafford saw him sidelined. With Rypien's release, the Rams signed former No. 1 overall pick Carson Wentz to finish the year as Stafford's deputy.
Despite Wentz's lone start of the season coming in the Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, as Stafford and multiple other starters were rested, his future in L.A. is uncertain as he is currently set to be a free agent this offseason.
More must-reads: