One player Rams fans were especially excited to see in the preseason opener was Stetson Bennett. The fourth-round rookie played most of the game after relieving Brett Rypien and he shook off a shaky start to perform relatively well against the Chargers.
On his first drive of the game, Bennett nearly threw two interceptions. One was a late throw to the outside, which was almost picked off. The second was after he scrambled out of the pocket and tried to do too much, throwing it up wildly into the arms of the defender, who dropped it.
After that, Bennett looked comfortable and confident on the field. He looked a bit small, yes, but not too small to make it in the NFL.
Bennett finished the night 17-for-29 with 191 yards and one touchdown, totaling a passer rating of 89.9. Though he didn’t rack up the rushing yards, he did show off his athleticism by scrambling out of the pocket a couple of times.
One of his best throws of the night was on a slant to Tyler Johnson, hitting his receiver in stride between two defenders for a 34-yard gain. It may not look like much, but it was a timing throw that was right on the money.
On the money to @T_muhneyy10! 👀
📺 @ABC7 + the Rams App pic.twitter.com/pIV4ERFxUP
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 13, 2023
He also lofted a pass nicely to Johnson on a corner route, putting it out of the reach of the defender on a key third down to keep the drive going. Bennett made that throw from the pocket, showing his arm is strong enough to throw from the hash to the sideline.
He doesn’t have a cannon by any means, but it’s probably strong enough.
On a third down earlier in the game, he found Puka Nacua for a touchdown, the Rams’ first of the preseason. It was a relatively tight throw to the goal line, but one he completed with good accuracy.
Stetson Bennett fires it in for a TD on his first drive! @StetsonIV
📺: #LACvsLAR on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/QTM0twMeql— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023
As a whole, Bennett impressed in his preseason debut. He got away with a few mistakes throwing the ball, but it was impressive to see how quickly he settled in and got comfortable in the offense.
There’s plenty for him to build on heading into the second preseason game next week against the Raiders as he looks to further cement his spot as Matthew Stafford’s backup in 2023.
