It was an eventful NFL preseason Week 2, but let’s start with the Rams’ quarterback room because there was plenty of bad and some good last week.
Third-stringer Stetson Bennett provided some positivity in the Rams’ 23–22 preseason victory against the Chargers after a concerning week for Matthew Stafford and backup Jimmy Garoppolo.
Stafford hasn’t practiced this summer due to a back injury that has given the team more questions than answers. As for Garoppolo, he had a rough joint practice performance against the Saints that might have reminded Davante Adams about his bad experience with the Raiders.
The alarm bells could be ringing for the Rams on Monday, depending on the scouting report coach Sean McVay relays to the Los Angeles media about Stafford’s secret throwing session over the weekend. Regardless of what the results say, it seems Stafford will be dealing with back discomfort for the foreseeable future, putting more attention on the backup QBs.
BAAAAAANG! STETSON TO TRU EDWARDS ‼️
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If Bennett, the 2023 fourth-round pick, is forced to start games in the regular season, that likely means the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes are in serious jeopardy. But on the bright side, Bennett (28-of-40 for 324 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) showed plenty of improvement in the come-from-behind win against the Chargers and has a real shot at developing into a quality No. 2 after a rough start to his career. The Rams have been high on Bennett’s upside, but not enough to trust him to be Stafford’s backup, which is why Garoppolo was brought back for a second season.
If all is well with Stafford, perhaps Garoppolo should be worried about Bennett’s recent improvements because it’s not a given the Rams will keep three quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster. Then again, it might say a lot that the team decided to protect Garoppolo by keeping him on the sideline and having Bennett play the entirety of the exhibition matchup against their crosstown rivals.
Bennett made a handful of highlight throws Saturday—he did face the Chargers’ starters early in the game—including a 38-yard laser that found receiver Mario Williams in the end zone. The Georgia product also completed a 40-yard prayer before throwing the winning eight-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left in regulation.
Two days earlier, Garoppolo had an up-and-down outing against the Saints’ starting defense during a joint practice. He threw an interception to safety Julian Blackmon, missed a downfield shot to Adams that hit the back of a defender’s helmet and made a poor decision to throw a pass in traffic that might have gotten Adams hurt in a real game. It wasn’t all bad, though, because Garoppolo threw a pretty pass in the end zone to Adams during red-zone drills and the rushing attack had a strong outing in the joint practice.
Garoppolo’s rocky practice will either soon be forgotten or it will linger in the back of minds—depending on what McVay says about Stafford’s throwing session.
Here’s what else we learned from preseason action in Week 2.
Bears’ offense finally coming together under Johnson
The Bears’ new-look offense under rookie head coach Ben Johnson hasn’t been a pretty sight on the practice field, according to many reporters.
But we’re talking about practice and the Bears evidently are learning from their practice mistakes. Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense looked sharp during an impressive 92-yard opening touchdown drive against the Bills.
Williams (6-of-10 for 107 yards, one touchdown) displayed timing and trust in his reads, which wasn’t always the case in his up-and-down rookie season. He ignited the drive with lengthy throws to tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet before capping the perfect drive with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus.
As for another positive, Williams didn’t force throws, and the one time he extended a play a little too long, he nearly threw for a first down. Finally, the Bears are getting Williams to play within the scheme, which could be the key to unlocking his elite skill set.
Chargers have plenty of weapons for Herbert
The criticism toward the Chargers’ receiving corps has been overblown. They were in good shape, at least to me, after Mike Williams retired and before Keenan Allen returned to Los Angeles.
The Allen signing was more about adding a veteran presence than filling a critical need at the position. For starters, the Chargers already had dynamic second-year playmaker Ladd McConkey and two promising rookies in Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who both impressed in the preseason game against the Rams. Harris (six catches, 85 yards) could be a quality X-receiver, especially after his sensational 34-yard grab to complete Trey Lance’s sideline pass near the end zone. Harris, this year’s second-round pick, was probably in the team’s plans to be Justin Herbert’s No. 1 perimeter option long before Williams retired.
Lambert-Smith (two catches, 66 yards) is proving to be more than just a camp gem and the rookie fifth-round pick could soon be tabbed to take Quentin Johnston’s job as the speed threat. Johnston, who sustained a concussion vs. the Rams, continues to struggle with drops and hasn’t found consistency since the team drafted him in the first round in 2023. The team will need to figure out how to utilize Allen and McConkey on the field together because they have similar skill sets, but that’s a good problem to have.
Perhaps now there will be more attention on what these young receivers could do in the future with Herbert and less on what they haven’t done in the NFL.
It’s time for Saints to announce Shough as QB starter
To summarize the Saints’ quarterback battle, new coach Kellen Moore is likely deciding between Spencer Rattler’s high floor and Tyler Shough’s high ceiling.
After telling reporters that he’s close to making a decision, Moore might be favoring Shough’s upside based on this throw alone during the preseason game against the Jaguars. Shough had perfect ball placement on the 28-yard connection and gave Treyton Welch an opportunity to make the jaw-dropping play.
Yes, Shough had some low moments, like tripping himself to give Jacksonville the easiest sack ever. Still, Shough has flashed enough in the past two preseason games to convince Moore that they need to find out what he can do in the regular season after spending a second-round pick on him.
Rattler has improved after a rocky rookie season, but this new coaching staff didn’t draft him and likely don’t have long-term plans for him.
Shough (9-of-12 for 66 yards) started against the Jaguars and displayed chemistry with Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. Rattler, who went 18-of-24 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception vs. the Jaguars, started the preseason opener against the Chargers.
All signs point toward a regular-season starter being named before Saturday’s preseason finale with the Broncos.
Browns drafting Gabriel makes more sense now
Many thought the Browns reached for quarterback Dillon Gabriel when they drafted him in the third round in April. But Gabriel appeared to be worthy of a Day 2 pick based on how well he played in his preseason debut against the Eagles.
Gabriel was well on his way to matching Shedeur Sanders’s preseason Week 1 performance before throwing an ugly pick-six to rookie safety Andrew Mukuba early in the second quarter. But putting the mistake aside, Gabriel (13-of-18 for 143 yards) showed plenty of poise, accuracy and control for the speed of the game. And Gabriel had one controversial comment that was taken out of context after saying he’s a competitor, not an entertainer.
Gabriel said that wasn’t a dig at Sanders, but that likely won’t quiet the outside noise of pinning the rookie QBs against each other. Yes, technically, they’re competing for roster spots, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Browns keep Gabriel and Sanders as the backups for Joe Flacco, possibly leaving Kenny Pickett on the outside.
Pickett desperately needs to return to health and make it to the field for the Browns’ preseason finale vs. the Rams. Pickett has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Jeanty not a preseason bust after all
Preseason overreactions can be annoying, especially when many are quick to label a prominent rookie as a bust. That was the case with Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, who had three carries for one negative yard in his preseason debut vs. the Seahawks.
But fantasy football managers stopped freaking out after Jeanty delivered a punishing run that sent 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir into a different realm. The overreactions to that play alone should be louder than the hot takes that were unleashed about the rookie running back after his quiet professional debut.
Jeanty had seven carries for 33 yards, one touchdown and multiple broken tackles. The No. 6 pick in the draft said it best when he said pro football is about tackling and that teams should draft the guy they can’t tackle. The 49ers certainly couldn’t tackle Jeanty.
Egbuka, TeSlaa appear to be the real deal
Perhaps no rookie receiver has received more hype than Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers’ No. 19 pick in the draft.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has told several reporters and gone on multiple podcasts to let the football public know that the Ohio State product will be a problem in the NFL. Egbuka flashed his upside when he made an acrobatic five-yard touchdown catch against the Steelers.
Lions rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa hasn’t received as much hype as Egbuka, but many are intrigued about his skill set after the team made the surprising decision to select him in the third round of the draft.
Detroit has earned its reputation for finding talented players, and TeSlaa is proving to be the team’s latest draft gem. The ultra-athletic TeSlaa recorded four catches for 41 yards and one impressive 18-yard touchdown against the Dolphins.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rams’ QB Call Riding on Matthew Stafford’s Secret Throwing Session.