Rams Make Decision on Quarterback Stetson Bennett in Preseason Opener vs. Chiefs

The Los Angeles Rams are set to play their first preseason game on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. As the Rams head into that game, there were questions about how head coach Sean McVay would handle the snaps at quarterback.

While McVay already confirmed that rookie Ty Simpson would play, it wasn’t clear whether Stetson Bennett would as well. Bennett has shown a lot of growth during training camp and has continued to impress the coaching staff.

Sean McVay Confirms Stetson Bennett Will Play

On Tuesday, McVay noted that he would have a definitive answer on Thursday after discussing further with quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone. When asked on Thursday by the media, McVay said, “He will, yep. He will play.”

Bennett is a key depth player as the backup behind Matthew Stafford. However, the preseason reps are still valuable. For as much as Bennett has improved, he’s not as experienced as Jimmy Garoppolo was over the last two years.

How Will Rams Split Quarterback Reps?

It still remains unclear how much Bennett will play before the Rams turn to Simpson against the Chiefs. However, it will be a good opportunity for Bennett to build on what he’s done in training camp during a live-game setting as well as what he did in the preseason last year.

“I’m looking forward to going out there and competing,” said Bennett. “You have to play football to get better at football, but I’m just looking forward to going out and executing the offense with the guys.”

It’s been a few years since the Rams have had two quarterbacks split reps during the preseason. Even when the Rams had Bennett with Brett Rypien, it was Bennett taking a majority of the reps in the first two games. In 2022, it was Bryce Perkins. However, Perkins did split with John Wolford in the second preseason game. Wolford started the game before Perkins took over to start the second half.

Stetson Bennett Looks to Build on Strong Offseason

Given the coaching staff’s confidence in Bennett this offseason, it will be interesting to see whether Bennett plays just a series or two, the first quarter, or the entire first half. The Rams will want to make sure that Bennett plays enough to get some value out of the game, but also get Simpson as many reps as possible as the live-game experience will be important for his development.

Saturday’s game against the Chiefs is an opportunity for Bennett to continue what has been a very strong offseason. The Rams have shown confidence in Bennett as Stafford’s back, and a strong performance in a live-game setting would only reinforce that.

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