After earning a roster spot on the Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster to open the 2023 season, Stetson Bennett missed the Rams week 1 game against Seattle with a shoulder injury and, more ominously, has been placed on the Rams’ reserve/non-football injury list.
The details surrounding the situation are still extremely murky as Rams Head Coach Sean McVay has been tight-lipped regarding Bennett’s status, essentially refusing to provide an update when prompted for one on Wednesday.
“Not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I’ll give in that regard,” McVay said.
However, while McVay has been reluctant to provide specific details regarding Bennett’s situation, he did indicate the decision to place the former Georgia quarterback on the non-football injury list was not related to the shoulder injury that kept him out of the Rams season opener against the Seahawks.
“No, and that’s all I’m going to say and I really hope that you can please respect my wishes in regards to keeping that in-house,” McVay said. “I understand you have a job to do, but there’s certain things that I think are a little bit bigger and more important and out of respect for the particulars and specifics, want to be able to keep it in-house and that’s where I’d like to leave it, please.”
The NFL’s non-football injury list is a roster designation used for players who are unable to play or practice as a result of either conditions unrelated to football or injuries that were sustained outside of team activities. After being placed on the non-football injury list, Bennett will be required to miss at least four games. At this point, given the dearth of specifics around the situation, Bennett’s future after that is up in the air.
The Rams traded up to draft the two-time College Football Playoff National Championship quarterback in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Bennett quickly impressed upon arriving in Los Angeles and was able to earn a roster spot as a rookie. The Rams will promote veteran Brett Rypien from the practice squad to replace Bennett while he remains on the non-football injury list.
