Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford finally laced up for training camp on Monday. Stafford’s presence alone shifts the Rams’ offensive narrative. As ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky recently laid out, the gap between Stafford and his veteran backup is a chasm. “This is a team that, with Stafford, can win the Super Bowl,” he stated. “With Jimmy Garoppolo, I think he can keep them afloat a playoff-contending football team, but by no means are we talking about a team that legitimately threatens…” This isn’t a slight on Jimmy G; it’s just the reality.

He’s a proven stabilizer, a guy who can manage a game. But Stafford is a franchise-altering force, a top-ten all-time passer with over 59,800 yards and 377 touchdowns to his name. The Rams’ entire offensive universe revolves around his arm talent and pre-snap genius. The mess, however, lies in the comfortable security blanket they’ve created behind him.

You have Stafford, the established king. If he doesn’t suit up, then you have Garoppolo, the high-end insurance policy on an $3 million deal, a guy with a solid 43-21 record as a starter. Then you have Stetson Bennett IV, the 2023 fourth-round pick who just lit up the preseason with over 512 yards, 2 interceptions, and five TDs, yet because of the two vets, he’ll remain overshadowed

While Bennett also completed 28 of his 40 pass attempts against the Chargers for 324 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception, they also previously had Dresser Winn, a gritty camp arm who started the preseason finale but was waived as of August 24th.

“I can’t see into the future, but if you look at what the last week has entailed, feel really good and there’s nothing that would lead me to believe, unless we have an unforeseen setback, that he’s not going to be ready to roll against the Texans.” McVay’s clear, unwavering commitment to Stafford as he should have and the reliable presence of Garoppolo create a logjam with no reps, no oxygen, and no clear path for the future. A path that’s surely riddled with excellence, yet overgrazed, and one that could ultimately lead to no quarterback development.

Succession on pause in McVay’s QB Room

This is the major threat: the stifling of succession planning. Bennett’s promising preseason performances? They are like shouts into a gale-force wind, drowned out by the immediate win-now mandate these two veterans provide. McVay is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. Yet, here he is, potentially presiding over a scenario that feels like a throwback to the Patriots’ way, a proven veteran starter with a proven veteran backup.

But this isn’t New England, and Garoppolo is not a young Tom Brady waiting behind Drew Bledsoe. While Bennett takes every meaningless preseason snap, the valuable developmental reps that forge a future QB1 are going to a player who will never be that.

The Rams are betting everything on the brilliance of Matthew Stafford right now, and it’s a bet that could very well pay off with a Lombardi Trophy. “There’s an awareness and an understanding with some of our veteran players, how do we keep them mentally, physically and emotionally sharp,” McVay said.

“With Matthew, I think that served him well. It kind of organically unfolded maybe a little later than we anticipated. But I think he’s having a lot of fun, I think he’s enjoying it. And sometimes that absence you can really have an appropriate perspective of how much he loved doing this stuff and that’s what I felt from him this last week and a half.”

But by not actively cultivating the next arm, by letting the backup role be for a veteran instead of a stepping stone for a successor, McVay risks facing a day where Stafford’s cleats are finally hung up with no one ready to fill them. The major threat is the serene, quiet, and comfortable stagnation that keeps you from seeing what’s coming next.