Sean McVay’s Strong Remarks On Stetson Bennett Weeks Before NFL Season

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay already announced that sophomore Stetson Bennett will be their starting quarterback in their first two games in the upcoming season.

With star Matthew Stafford still out due to a hamstring injury and new acquisition Jimmy Garoppolo suspended for two games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy, the 26-year-old Bennett will be thrown into the fire.

McVay, however, expressed confidence that the young signal-caller can take charge and be the confident leader he was during his stellar career at Georgia, which he led to back-to-back national titles.

McVay noted that Bennett, who was placed on the reserve list last season, showed his poise in their close preseason wins against the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers.

“He's got a body of work in terms of both of those games going from wire to wire,” McVay said in a report from Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein . “I think he’s done really well in some of the practice settings."

McVay sat out Bennett in their final preseason assignment against the Houston Texans on Saturday. The Rams lost, 17-15.

“When you do look at it, you’re obviously very fortunate to have Jimmy, who will be coming back on Week 3," McVay added. "But he’s (Bennett) done enough that we feel good about him for those first couple weeks.”

Drafted by the Rams as the 128th overall pick in 2023, Bennett's journey from a college walk-on to the NFL is a testament to his resilience, work ethic and determination—qualities that Rams fans surely appreciate.

The Rams are optimistic that Bennett’s winning mentality and experience in high-stakes games will translate well in his second year. He'll only get better with veterans Stafford and Garoppolo showing him the nuances and complexities of the game.

Bennett will get his first acid test on Sept. 8 against the Detroit Lions, followed by the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 15.

Related: Jimmy Garoppolo Takes Subtle Dig at Former Teams Over Internal Culture