Stetson Bennett on his time away from football: 'I think we're gonna keep that in-house'

Stetson Bennett spent most of his rookie season away from the Los Angeles Rams. And this week, he met with the media for the first time since he took that leave of absence. But the quarterback still didn’t provide details as to what he did in the months away from football.

He said he wanted to keep the reason he went away “in house.” But Bennett did reveal his absence related to his mental health. Bennett said he went back home to Georgia after the Rams placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list last September, two weeks into the regular season. He eventually rejoined the team for off season work. And as of last week, he was back on the field as the Rams began phase three of OTAs. The team is practicing in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

“It’s been cool to get back,” Bennett told reporters. “You know, it’s great to see the guys … Great to get back to football, you know, the sport I love. It’sbeen pretty sweet.”

The Rams selected Bennett in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The quarterback was coming off an intense two years in which he earned a starting job, then helped lead Georgia to consecutive national championships.

LA GM says Bennett was mentally exhausted after Georgia run

Rams GM Les Snead said earlier this month that Bennett’s absence related to exhaustion.

“I know this, last year was very beneficial for him,” Snead told Channel 19 in Alabama. “I think he took advantage of that year away from the game. You know what, he’s an exhausted human being based on everything he had done. Let’s just take it as an individual — to walk on, to go to JUCO, to come back, to turn down small schools, say ‘I’m going to try to do this Georgia thing.’

“To win a job, then to win the thing, and then to determine, ‘I’m going to come back.’ And when you come back, it’s really win it again or you failed. And that does take a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit.”

Bennett told reporters how happy he was to return to the practice fields. “I was nervous the first day. I hadn’t played football in a while and hadn’t talked to dudes in a huddle, right, which is a huge thing … when you’re relaying the play to them. A lot of nerves the first day, but it’s gone. You know, I wouldn’t say it’s gone seamlessly, but it’s gotten better each day.”

He thanked Snead and Rams coach Sean McVay for allowing him to take such a long, healing break from football.

Rams need steady backup for 36-year-old Matthew Stafford

The Rams made the playoffs last season, but they did have issues at backup quarterback. Chances are, if Bennett had been healthy, he would have played his rookie season. First-year quarterbacks were a trend around the NFL last season. Plus, Stafford had some injury issues.

The Rams were forced to start Brett Rypien in week nine. But after LA scored only a field goal in the game, the Rams waived Rypien and signed veteran Carson Wentz. And Wentz did well when he started the season finale and helped knock off the 49ers.

In the offseason, the Rams added Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been the starter for both the 49ers and Raiders. But he’ll have to serve a two-game suspension to start the season after violating the NFL’s policy for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The Rams also have Dresser Winn on the roster, giving them four quarterbacks.

Bennett still can enjoy a low-key second season as he learns from Stafford, another former Georgia Bulldog quarterback. He says, staying away made him want to come back.

“And so you kind of come out here and you’re hungry every single day,” Bennett said. “And I don’t know, it did make me like … You want to do this and you want to work hard every single day and get better.'”