LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams will head into Week 1 of the NFL season with veteran Matthew Stafford under center, but who starts the first game of the preseason remains a mystery - even with less than 24 hours until the game kicks off.
Stafford won't play and the Rams initial depth chart listed both Stetson Bennett and Brett Rypien as the No. 2 quarterback, with coach Sean McVay choosing to hold his decision close to the vest for now.
Locked on Rams hosts Doug McKain and Travis Rodgers discussed the depth chart at the quarterback position on a recent episode, giving the edge to the rookie Bennett.
"I think Bennett will have the inside track simply because they used a relatively high draft pick on him," Rodgers said. "He's got a pedigree of winning, of being around good football players and good football teams, so maybe that gives him a little bit of an inside line."
Los Angeles nabbed Bennett in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft out of Georgia where he won back-to-back national championships and threw for 8,429 yards and 66 touchdowns in 41 games.
His size is a limiting factor for his upside, but he has looked solid in training camp and likely has the edge over Rypien, a four-year veteran out of Boise State who hasn't looked very good in a small sample size of NFL appearances.
In eight games and three starts, all coming with the Denver Broncos, Rypien completed 61.5% of his passes for 778 yards and four touchdowns, along with eight interceptions.
Neither Bennett or Rypien are likely to replicate Stafford, leaving Los Angeles in a situation where they hope they don't have to find out who the No. 2 option is, but whoever starts on Saturday in LA's preseason bout with the Chargers is likely the quarterback with the upper hand, at least for now.