Coming into the season, there was a belief that Stetson Bennett could make his official NFL debut at some point during the year due to 35-year-old Matthew Stafford coming off yet another elbow injury. Bennett, the 128th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, appeared to claim the team’s top backup QB role after preseason play, yet a shoulder injury kept him from being active in Week 1. Brett Rypien took over QB2 duties on gameday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Before last week’s game could even begin, coach Sean McVay admitted Bennett’s injury could cause him to be placed on injured reserve, costing the fourth-round rookie at least four weeks of action, if not longer.
Now, thanks to a strange roster move, we may not see Bennett back for several weeks, but as Coach McVay said, this transaction isn’t even related to his shoulder injury.
“Out of respect for him and the situation, I’m going to leave all of those specifics and particulars in-house.”
Coach McVay on Stetson Bennett
The Rams are instead placing Bennett on the reserve/non-football injury list. McVay would not offer any further details on the 25-year-old QB.
Rypien will maintain his role as the Rams’ No. 2 QB, ready to play at a moment’s notice. The Rams host their division rival San Francisco 49ers this Sunday from SoFi Stadium, and from the sound of it, Bennett won’t be with his teammates as they look to move to 2-0.