Rams benefiting from a good draft, but biggest miss is most apparent

The Los Angeles Rams have faced some quarterback-related drama in the past week due to uncertainty surrounding Matthew Stafford. Stafford suffered a UCL thumb injury during their Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was unable to practice throughout the week. If Stafford is unavailable to play, the Rams will have to rely on backup quarterback Brett Rypien.

Unfortunately, Rypien doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, especially in a crucial Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers. In his limited action last week, Rypien completed only 5 out of 10 passes and has a track record of three touchdowns and five interceptions in his three career starts.

This situation highlights the importance of having a reliable backup quarterback, which the Rams tried to address during the offseason. While they didn’t sign a seasoned veteran like Mike White or Jacoby Brissett, they did invest one of their higher draft picks in a quarterback.

The Rams have had a successful draft class in the first eight weeks of the season, with notable performances from rookies like Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Puka Nacua. These young players have made significant contributions and shown promise for the future.

However, the most significant setback for the Rams right now is their inability to secure a dependable backup quarterback, as Brett Rypien’s performance raises concerns in a crucial game.

In the fourth round of the NFL Draft, the Rams made the decision to select Stetson Bennett IV, a quarterback from the University of Georgia. It was evident that both Les Snead and Sean McVay, the Rams’ management team, wanted to solidify the backup quarterback position for the long term, aiming for a “set it and forget it” scenario. The idea was to draft Bennett with the intention that he could serve as their reliable backup quarterback without the need to address the position for a while.

Bennett’s journey with the Rams began promisingly when he displayed poise in his first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. During that game, Bennett completed 17 out of 29 passes for 191 yards and threw a touchdown to Puka Nacua.

However, Bennett’s performance took a downward turn from that point onward. Even in his first game, he had three plays that were considered turnover-worthy, and this trend continued in his subsequent preseason appearances. In fact, Bennett ended up tying for the most turnover-worthy plays in the preseason, and his turnover-worthy play percentage of 8.5% was the highest among all quarterbacks.

Following the game against the Seattle Seahawks, Bennett was placed on the NFI (Non-Football Injury) list, with Sean McVay refraining from sharing specific details. The Rams’ head coach stated, “Out of respect for him and the situation, I’m going to leave all of those specifics and particulars in-house. Want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation.”

It’s certainly reasonable to empathize with Bennett as he navigates whatever personal issues he may be facing. Clearly, it’s a sensitive and serious situation, as indicated by McVay’s decision not to disclose details. However, some criticism is directed at the Rams’ decision-making process. It’s suggested that one can separate the personal aspects from the football evaluation.

At the time of Bennett’s selection in the fourth round, many observers believed it was a higher draft position than he warranted. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had projected Bennett as a fifth or sixth-round pick, and Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network rated Bennett as a late-Day 3 selection, considering the fourth-round choice as “rich in the eyes of some evaluators.” There were even opinions suggesting that Bennett might have gone undrafted, with an NFL executive mentioning the possibility of him being undrafted, as reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.