THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Rams have not yet decided whether Jimmy Garoppolo or Stetson Bennett will start Sunday's preseason opener against the Cowboys against SoFi Stadium, according to head coach Sean McVay, in part because they wanted to get through Friday's practice first before doing so.
What is certain, though, is that Bennett will be getting plenty of reps, whether he starts or not.
"We'll get together as a staff, and then tomorrow will represent when we get our final plans in place," McVay said after Friday's practice. "But probably same as what I told you yesterday."
Asked Thursday whether Garoppolo would play in the preseason, McVay on Thursday said "probably not" unless Garoppolo asked to, noting the importance of Bennett getting "a bunch of work" and Garoppolo's veteran experience.
Any action Bennett sees would mark his first live game reps since August 26, 2023 – last year's preseason finale against the Broncos in Denver. In three games (two starts) during the 2023 preseason, he completed 36 of 62 pass attempts for 347 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and three interceptions.
He was placed on the Reserve/NFI list by the team a little over two weeks after the Broncos game, and remained on that this for the entirety of his rookie season before being onboard back onto the team at the start of OTAs this spring. Speaking to reporters in March, when a reporter asked if it was fair to say his absence fell under the umbrella of mental health, Bennett said, "Yeah, I'd say that."
McVay said he wants to see "command, control" and "being able to get in and out of the huddle" from Bennett – among other things – against the Cowboys and throughout the preseason.
"Command, control, being able to get in and out of the huddle," McVay said, when asked what he wants to see from Bennett not only on Sunday but throughout the preseason. "I mean, there's so much that goes into the quarterback position in regards to, just calling the play, getting up to the line of scrimmage, making sure that everybody's set, sending any sort of motion, and then being able to just play and trust your instincts after the snap. But want to be able to see that, and I want to see him be able to go enjoy his opportunity to go compete. When I've seen him at his best, he's having fun, and that's really consistent with all players. And so just go cut it loose play and enjoy it. And I thought we felt that in the first preseason game a little bit last year, when he's kind of flashing and doing those kind of things. So that's what I'm looking forward to seeing."
