After a year-long sabbatical, two-time national champion quarterback Stetson Bennett IV officially rejoined the NFL this week, according to various sources. The 2023 Los Angeles Rams draft pick and former Georgia standout took part in the team’s offseason practices on Tuesday, starting the transition of returning to the active roster following what he stated was a mental health-related break from football.
Although he would not elaborate, he informed reporters during practice on Tuesday that the reasons for his absence were related to mental health. The 26-year-old spent the previous season at home, adding that he and the team would keep the details “in-house.”
The Rams’ decision to place Bennett on the reserve/non-football sickness list three days after their season opener last year caught everyone off guard. Bennett was named as Matthew Stafford’s backup quarterback after the team picked him as a fourth-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A Much-Needed Break from the Spotlight
Rams head coach Sean McVay declined to provide any explanation for Bennett’s time away from the team. He did, however, indicate that he was concentrating on the much bigger team picture.
Last week, however, Rams general manager Les Snead said that Bennett was weary and physically exhausted from the stress of his college career. He was a true walk-on at Georgia who beat out previous five-star recruit J.T. Daniels for the starting position. Bennett was coming off two straight national titles at Georgia.
Snead’s comment, fromRams Wire:
“I know this: Last year was very beneficial for him. I think he took advantage of that year away from the game,” Snead said. “You know what, he’s an exhausted human being based on everything he had done to walk on, to go to JUCO, to come back, to turn down small schools, say, ‘I’m going to try to do this Georgia thing.’
To win a job, then to win the thing, and then to determine, ‘I’m going to come back.’ And when you come back, it’s really win it again or you failed. And that does take a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit.”
Rams Support Bennett During Recovery
Since the Rams placed Bennett on the reserve/NFI list, the signal-caller has stayed connected with Dave Ragone, the Los Angeles quarterbacks coach. An NFL roster classification known as the reserve/NFI list permits teams to hold onto players without going over the 53-man cap. A player is eligible for the list if their ailment or chronic illness has nothing to do with football.
After stepping away from competitive football, Bennett worked out in Texas, making one of his first public appearances. In the middle of a game in 2023, he was recognized by Georgia for earning the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given yearly to the best walk-on in college football.
Georgia coachKirby Smartcommented earlier this offseason:
“Stetson is doing well. “He went back to Dallas to train where he trained last year. He trained with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer and some different people there. So he wanted to go back to that same footprint where he was training previously. The Rams still have him there. They have gotten other quarterbacks (Jimmy Garoppolo), but he’s hopeful that he gets an opportunity there or he’ll get picked up by somebody else.”
Bennett’s Future with the Rams
Thankfully, Bennett is back with the Rams now. Having both Jimmy Garoppolo and Stafford on the team may make it more difficult to earn a regular spot on the roster, but he might see backup duties early in the season whileGaroppolo serves his two-game suspension.
Matthew Stafford certainly has the grip on the starting quarterback position. Bennett does not appear to have a clear path to playing time, but he did get a chance to revitalize his promising career that saw him go from being a walk-on to an NFL prospect and two-time College Football Playoff champion. Bennett’s final in-game performance came in the 2023 preseason finale, where he finished 4-of-9 passing for fourteen yards and two interceptions before being benched by the Rams.
After a brief time as a Georgia walk-on, Bennett—the No. 128 overall pick in the previous year’s draft—transferred to Jones College in Mississippi for the 2018 campaign. He rejoined the Bulldogs in 2019 and took over as the starting quarterback halfway through the 2020 campaign. In 2021 and 2022, he guided Georgia to back-to-back national championships.
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