THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Matthew Stafford didn’t have much of a relationship with Stetson Bennett before the Los Angeles Rams drafted the rookie quarterback in the fourth round. But Stafford and Bennett have two major things in common: They are former Georgia Bulldogs and each of them have won a championship at SoFi Stadium, albeit on different levels.
“He’s like all the other young guys on this team, just trying to figure it out and trying to figure out what it’s like to be an NFL player, where to be, what to do and continue to try to kind of carve his way, which is fun to see and fun to be a part of,” Stafford said of Bennett. “He’s a really talented kid, runs around, makes plays, throws it great, but he’s like every other rookie. They’re just doing the best they can to try and figure stuff out as quickly as possible.”
Stafford’s comments symbolize the current state of the Rams. Entering training camp, the Rams roster included 36 rookies. Fourteen of them were selected by the club in the 2023 draft.
Rookies and young, unproven players fill the Rams’ roster. They are trying to “figure stuff out” with the regular season less than a month away.
It’s beneficial that the Rams have two sets of joint practices, against the Las Vegas Raiders this week and the Denver Broncos next week, in addition to three preseason games.
‘Going to get a little hot-headed’: In NFL joint practices, teams challenged to keep cool
Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett in action during the preseason game against the Chargers.
“I think what we can try to do is challenge them to use the tools, not be afraid to fail so that you can actually have some of that growth occur in a smart way,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “You want to be able to try out some of these fundamentals and techniques in a situation, in a setting like these practices. Go shoot your shot in some of these preseason games, but I think the more that we can create those situations and scenarios, whether it be on…
..
