New details released on Stetson Bennett's mysterious rookie season absence

Plenty of questions were raised when Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett missed the entirety of his rookie season after he was selected by the team in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Now, there's a bit something more of an answer available.

Rams general manager Les Snead elaborated on the situation when he was asked about Bennett in a recent interview with News 19 in Alabama, and it seemed that the Georgia quarterback simply needed some time away, based upon the answer Snead gave.

"I know this: Last year was very beneficial for him. I think he took advantage of that year away from the game," Snead said. 

"You know what, he's an exhausted human being based on everything he had done to walk on, to go to JUCO, to come back, to turn down small schools, say 'I'm going to try to do this Georgia thing.' To win a job, then to win the thing, and then to determine, 'I'm going to come back.' And when you come back, it's really win it again or you failed. And that does take a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit."

Snead expressed understanding on what it is like for a player to consistently perform at the level needed to win a national title, something Bennett did not once, but twice at the helm of the Bulldogs of Athens.

"We had gone through it the year before where we had won a Super Bowl and it really started when we lost our first one but we were an exhausted building so there was an element of understanding the toll it takes to put a team, to do your part," Snead said. "The responsibility of the QB, and in our sake, we saw what taking a break, giving some guys a break from the game to get refreshed -- I call it, to get bored and fall back in love with the game you grew up playing in the backyard.

Bennett trained in Dallas during the offseason with some of the same trainers who work with standout Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, rejoining the Rams for OTAs shortly thereafter.

"He's done a great job," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "He's got a good look in his eye. I really appreciate the way that he's come to work. He's been really attentive in the meetings. I think [quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone has done a great job with the quarterbacks as a whole. His command, his ability to communicate and Stetson's had a couple good days and it's been good having him out here."

With Jimmy Garoppolo in the fold after the team signed him as a potential backup candidate, it will be interesting to see if Bennett can secure the No. 2 spot and a long-term future with the Rams or another team.

It's clear he's on the right trajectory to do just that, and there's no question Bennett knows how to bring winning ways to a football team after defying the odds as a walk-on at Georgia.