In three weeks on NBC and Peacock, the Rams begin their season with a return to Detroit. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended. When will coach Sean McVay know if Stetson Bennett IV is ready to serve as Matthew Stafford’s backup?
“We’re going to take full advantage of the time we have,” McVay told reporters Sunday. “I’m trying to take it one piece at a time. … You always have to reevaluate each day, but you have to give him credit for where he’s come from and how he’s handled and handled all kinds of things and reacted to them. I’m proud of Stetson. I really am.”
And that gives McVay confidence in Bennett.
“I think he’s done a really good job of taking steps in the right direction,” McVay said. “We just talk about progress and what does that progress look like? … He’s making progress. I’m really pleased. He hasn’t gotten a lot of reps. He’s gotten a lot of reps in these preseason games, but Jimmy is taking the majority of the other reps. What I was really pleased about was when Matthew came out after a couple periods against Dallas, I think Stetson came in and did a great job when he wasn’t planning on practicing. I think that was really beneficial for him as well. He did that against the opponent where we had a couple turnovers and that was after the game. He was able to recover. I think he read their coverage well. I think he made good decisions for the most part. I think yesterday was similar. … I think given the circumstances, Stetson did a good job and I’m pleased with the progress. That’s what we want to continue to see so we feel good about it. But it’s going in the right direction.”
Bennett has one more preseason game to show enough progress to be the No. 2 quarterback in Week 1 at Detroit and Week 2 at Arizona. The task becomes even more important now that Stafford is dealing with a hamstring injury that could easily worsen when it’s time to play.
