The Los Angeles Rams have made the decision to place rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett on the non-football injury (NFI) list due to an undisclosed issue. This move comes after Bennett missed the Rams’ season-opening victory against the Seattle Seahawks due to a shoulder injury. However, Rams head coach Sean McVay clarified that the NFI designation is unrelated to the shoulder problem.
When asked about the nature of Bennett’s issue, McVay was tight-lipped, stating, “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. 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.”
With this NFI designation, Bennett will be required to miss a minimum of four games. This is a significant setback for the Rams, who selected Bennett as the No. 128 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft with the expectation that he would serve as the backup to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. It is now likely that Brett Rypien, who is on the Rams’ practice squad, will assume the role of backup quarterback.
Bennett, who played a prominent role in leading the Georgia Bulldogs to consecutive College Football Playoff championships in 2021 and 2022, concluded his college career with impressive statistics, including 8,429 passing yards, 66 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.
Coach McVay acknowledged the impact of Bennett’s absence but expressed confidence in Brett Rypien, stating, “I think there’s certain things that are a lot bigger than that. The fortunate thing for us is that Brett Rypien has been in-house, he’s on our practice squad, he was the backup last week, and he’ll continue to be in that situation until anything changes on that note.”
