COLUMN: Rams Matthew Stafford's Return Can't Harm Stetson Bennett's Development

In 2025, Bennett once again took to the field as the Rams' starting quarterback, putting away the Dallas Cowboys and leading a remarkable comeback over the Los Angeles Chargers during the past two Saturdays.

Bennett, whose development took a massive jump from last season to now, was the star of training camp, taking that momentum to quiet his doubters in joint practices and preseason play.

While Bennett's future remains unclear, his floor is a long-term backup, and considering his recent play, if he takes the same jump from year three to year four that he did from year two to year three, Bennett could legitimately make a case he should be the Rams' bridge quarterback if incumbent starter Matthew Stafford retires after this season if not competing for the starting job in that scenario.

Stafford, who returned to the Rams on Monday, was a full participant in practice. I asked Sean McVay after practice if Stafford's return and current health situation will dictate the quarterback situation for the Rams entering their final preseason game.

“In regard to if Stetson's going to play or not? Yeah, it possibly could but I think [Quarterback] Stetson's [Bennett] done an excellent job," stated McVay. "I think he's played really well. He's gotten eight quarters of football. He's gotten a lot of reps that he wouldn't have otherwise gotten so this might be a good opportunity to be able to get [Quarterback] Dresser [Winn] a chance to be able to play, but it possibly could." 

Last season, Bennett played the first two games, and Winn wrapped up preseason play. That appears to be the course we're seeing the Rams take once again.

With Stafford's return, that means he and Jimmy Garoppolo, the top two quarterbacks listed on the team's unofficial depth chart, are bound to get most of the opportunities during team play. The Rams must ensure they continue Bennett's rapid development because a critical part of that development was all the reps he took during training camp in Stafford's absence.

The mailman has delivered in all four preseason games he has played, and he's been making throws in live exhibition games that he wasn't hitting several months ago during OTAs.

The Rams have something here with Bennett, and he's hitting a point in his development where proper attention paired with repeated practice are paramount to him taking the next step.

Bennett has done everything in his power to get to this point; it's up to McVay and his staff to see it through.