Stetson Bennett IV mystery with Rams finally gets some answers

Life was going great for Stetson Bennett. The former Georgia quarterback led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships before setting his sights on professional football. The 26-year-old was selected with the No. 128 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

With the Rams, Bennett had the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Things could not get much better — but, of course, they could get worse.

Los Angeles placed Bennett on the reserve/non-football injury list on Sept. 13, removing him from football activities for a minimum of four weeks. McVay said that Bennett was dealing with issues that were "bigger than football."

Los Angeles Rams provide update on quarterback Stetson Bennett

One year later, Bennett's status is still shrouded in mystery. With his absence extending throughout the season, his future in the NFL has been in doubt. On Monday, general manager Les Sneed provided an optimistic update. The plan is to "onboard" Bennett for the team's offseason program next month, according to Sneed. Bennett has been working out in Dallas with a private instructor.

"Yeah, I think the first thing is you connect with [Bennett], which we'll do at the appropriate time," McVay said in February. "You figure out all, where are you, and is this something that we feel like is best for him and for our football team to bring him back into this ecosystem? Those will be conversations that we will have. I think once we have a better idea of what we'll do with that, then that'll give clarity."

Bennet has always been a long shot to find success in the NFL, but he seemed to be on the right track as a rookie. He impressed coaches during offseason workouts and training camp, where he flashed the ability to transition to the professional game. He had a solid debut performance in his first preseason game before he began to struggle. Bennett finished the preseason with a 58.0 completion percentage for 347 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. The quarterback did not appear in a regular-season game as a rookie.

The Rams may have the most fascinating quarterback room in the league. This offseason, the Rams signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to serve as the backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford, but Garoppolo will serve a two-game suspension to begin the 2024 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The Rams will need another quarterback who can run the offense behind Stafford in case of an emergency situation before Garoppolo is able to return from his suspension.