Matthew Stafford is practicing, but there are still a lot of concerns as to whether or not he’ll be available for the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 1 showdown with the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.
If Stafford to to miss that game, the prevailing theory is that Jimmy Garoppolo would start at quarterback, considering he hasn’t played a preseason snap this summer and has ample NFL experience.
ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith has a different idea for who should start if Stafford can’t suit up: Stetson Bennett.
Smith noted that while he hasn’t watched Bennett’s tape over the past two preseason games, he thinks Bennett’s box scores speak for themselves and that the Rams should give him the starting role ahead of Garoppolo if needed.
“I get the experience factor [with Garoppolo]. I get the fact that you can lean on what’s done in the past, ” Smith said on First Take. “The point is, at the end of the day, can we definitively say that he’s looked better than Stetson Bennet thus far? I’m just going with the best — who’s looked the best? I haven’t seen Stetson Bennett, I know his his stats … but his numbers look good. We’re just ignoring that because we’re going to lean on Jimmy G’s experience? What if this brother is balling during the preseason and he can ride that momentum into the first part of the season?
This is a wild argument for starting the 2023 fourth-round pick over the 11-year veteran.
Now, Bennett has looked good through two preseason games: He’s completed 68.8% of his passing attempts (44-of-68) for 512 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Bennett also won both games, including a game-winning score against the Los Angeles Chargers.
But does that mean he should just start over Garoppolo? Absolutely not.
For one, Bennett has zero regular-season experience. Garoppolo has 82 games and 64 starts under his belt, as well as 17 playoff appearances. We also can’t forget how Bennett played in the prior two preseasons, where he passed for 784 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games.
Momentum is nice, and Bennett has been much improved since he entered the league in 2023. But to suggest he’s ready to face a DeMeco Ryans defense in Week 1 that features 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. and five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter is laughable.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Stephen A. Smith makes ridiculous argument suggesting Rams should start Stetson Bennett
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
