14 September 2023 , 17:38
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Stetson Bennett has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list by the Los Angeles Rams, without any explanation of the situation.
The quarterback was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, after winning consecutive national championships with the Georgia Bulldogs. The 25-year-old has defied all the doubters throughout his career, after being a walk-on at Georgia in 2017, before later returning to the school after transferring to Jones College.
There was doubt around whether Bennett would be drafted too - despite his amazing college record - with the quarterback only being 5ft 11in. But the Rams gave him a chance, and made him their back-up behind franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
But before facing a competitive snap head coach Sean McVay confirmed he's been placed on the non-football illness list. "Out of respect for him and the situation, I'm going to leave all the specifics and particulars in-house," McVay said.
"And I want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation, so I'm not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I'll give in that regard." Bennett's position has been filled by Brett Rypien, who joined the Rams this offseason.
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Rypien went undrafted in 2019 but was signed by the Denver Broncos, and has a 2-1 record in the NFL as a starter. After signing for the Rams in May he was then released but re-signed to the practice squad, and now finds himself on the 53-man roster.
"The fortunate thing for us is that Brett Rypien has been in-house," McVay added. "He's on our practice squad. He was the backup last week, and he's going to continue to be in that situation until anything changes on that note."
McVay said he has met with Bennett, but is refusing to disclose more details on the matter at this time. The Rams even traded up to draft Bennett earlier this year, making him the first quarterback they've selected since 2016.
The Rams last drafted Jarred Goff as the first overall pick, although Goff is now at the Detroit Lions as Stafford moved the other way as part of the trade. Stafford won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams, going 12-5 in the regular season.
Stafford went 3-6 last season in a poor season for the Rams, and they continue to suffer injury troubles as star wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been placed on the injury reserve list. The Rams did win their first game of the 2023 season, beating the Seattle Seahawks 30-13. Stafford threw for 334 yards, going 24 for 38.