Rams QB Stetson Bennett Out vs. Seahawks With Shoulder Injury
The Los Angeles Rams are a bit banged up heading into Sunday's season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Appropriately, the bulk of the attention is on star receiver Cooper Kupp, who is dealing with a hamstring injury that could land him on injured reserve. However, other Rams are dealing with injury as well, most notably rookie backup quarterback Stetson Bennett.
During Wednesday's press conference, coach Sean McVay revealed that Bennett will miss Sunday's game with a nagging shoulder injury.
"It's been bothering him for the last couple weeks on and off and so (we) want to try to be able to get a hold on that," McVay told reporters.
While Bennett's injury has been bothering him for some time, the exact nature of the issue is still unclear. McVay added that he isn't sure if Bennett's injury will require surgery, or if simply resting is the best treatment.
“That would be something that I got to get some more information," McVay said. "It's been something that's kind of been lingering a little bit and so it could be in alignment with what we've talked about as it relates to Hunter [Long, tight end] and Cooper, even though it's a little bit of a different thing with his shoulder but we're trying to get some more information. But in the meantime, he's going to be out.”
Bennett, who led the Georgia Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships in college, was the No. 128 overall pick in April's draft. The 25-year-old faced many doubts as an NFL prospect, mainly stemming from him being old for a rookie and his lack of height at just 5-11, but managed to make it to the league. He had a shaky performance in the preseason, though, as he completed 36 of 62 passes for 347 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
Brett Rypien, who the Rams initially placed on the practice squad, will back up Matthew Stafford on Sunday with Bennett out. However, McVay also noted that the team is looking to add another backup quarterback, albeit not immediately.
“We're talking about that, but for this week we will not,” McVay said.
