Jimmy Garoppolo will not play in second exhibition game

The preseason is usually the playground of the primary backup quarterback. This year, the Rams’ QB2 didn’t play in the first exhibition game. Will Jimmy Garoppolo play in the second, on Saturday against the Chargers?

“He’s not going to do that,” coach Sean McVay told reporters Thursday. “I think it’s important to be able to give Stetson (Bennett) those reps. Jimmy got a lot of work yesterday and I thought that was really good for him. He actually got more than we thought he would because Matthew (Stafford) came in the first couple of periods. I thought it was a great job for both of those guys. Jimmy’s played a lot of football. I think it’s important for Stetson to be able to get those reps. Whether or not we take that same approach for the third preseason game, (we) haven’t determined that yet.”

Garoppolo will be suspended for the first two games of the regular season for a PED violation, and the Rams are trying to determine if Bennett can be trusted with the second position for games in Detroit and Arizona.

After Week 2, Garoppolo will be the man behind Matthew Stafford. That would make for some interesting matchups in 2025, as the Rams face each of Garoppolo’s former teams — the 49ers twice, the Raiders and the Patriots.