Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be sidelined for the first two weeks of the regular season due to a suspension under the PED policy. This means that Stetson Bennett will step up as the primary backup for Week 1 against Detroit and Week 2 against Arizona.
The big question on everyone’s mind is whether coach Sean McVay has confidence in Bennett to be the backup to star quarterback Matthew Stafford for the crucial first two games of the season. When asked about this, McVay told reporters, “Yeah, I think we still have to be able to see some more body of work… to be able to stay together. That’s a tough deal when you have the ball [and] when you turn it over a handful of times. It was [a tough situation]. He kind of mentioned it in the postgame [interviews] to you guys where he thought he was seeing some things and then the mistakes ended up being pretty costly but he just kept playing. He kept fighting. The guys kept believing around him. I was really impressed with the resilience that he demonstrated. We do need to take better care of the football. That’s a very important thing. All of those are very correctable… He has to continue to improve and we’re still in evaluation mode.”
Bennett showed his resilience by overcoming four interceptions (and almost a fifth on the final drive) to throw a last-second touchdown pass for the win in a recent preseason game.
With two more preseason games for Bennett to prove himself, the pressure is on. If McVay determines that Bennett isn’t the answer based on these upcoming games, the only other internal option is Dresser Winn. However, there is a possibility that the Rams may need to look outside the organization for help. McVay and G.M. Les Snead may have to seek out someone who is familiar with the Rams’ offense to quickly get up to speed before the season opener against the Lions.
Ultimately, the Rams are hoping that Stafford can stay healthy until Garoppolo is reinstated for Week 3. The team will have to navigate through the first two weeks without Garoppolo, hoping that Bennett or potentially Winn can step up in his absence. The pressure is on to find a reliable backup for their star quarterback before the regular season kicks off.