Bullet point summary by AI
- One NFC West team faces an uncertain quarterback situation with their veteran star managing a recurring injury.
- Two unproven arms are currently locked in a battle for the backup role, neither having stood out so far.
- The development timeline for one rookie signal-caller will be crucial as the franchise aims for Super Bowl contention this season.
Even after somewhat surprisingly adding him with the No. 13 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams aren’t expecting Ty Simpson to be their starting quarterback this season. But that might not mean it’s too early for the team’s fans to start to sweat.
Reigning Associated Press NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is nursing a back ailment for the second offseason in a row, putting the spotlight on Simpson and Stetson Bennett, a 2023 fourth-round pick.
“(They) are battling for the backup role,” NBC Sports’ Aditya Fuldeore wrote Tuesday. “Though the team wants Jimmy Garoppolo back, the vet is mulling retirement, leading to one of these two unproven arms to be thrust into the backup quarterback role.”
The Athletic’s Nate Atkins reported that Bennett was the first to take reps during the two minicamp practices Stafford missed, but neither “were able to stand out ahead of the other.”
Ty Simpson not exactly paying off Rams’ faith in early practices
Bennett, a fourth-year pro, hasn’t ever seen the field during the regular season for the Rams, but it’s not like he waltzed in off the street. The Georgia product has played in seven preseason matchups — starting six — and completed 121 of his 195 pass attempts for 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns. He tied for the most passing touchdowns (five) in the league during last year’s preseason.
Bennett helped lift the Bulldogs to back-to-back College Football Playoff titles and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2022. After being selected by the Rams, he took a year off from the game to address his mental health and recuperate after a few stressful seasons in Athens.
Of course, Simpson starred for another SEC program with high expectations — Alabama — before Sean McVay’s team plucked him on the first night of April’s 2026 NFL Draft. Simpson went 11-4 while operating Kalen DeBoer’s attack last fall, passing for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
It’s not like Simpson arrived in Southern California as a finished product, though.
Among others, NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein listed “timing and anticipation” as facets that Simpson needed to work on as he settles in on the NFL level. Simpson also took more sacks than he likely would’ve preferred during his time with the Crimson Tide.
“One-year starters rarely ‘boom’ so he’ll need a patient staff and a clear developmental roadmap to fill in the missing pieces,” Zierlein wrote in a pre-draft scouting report.
Having McVay, one of the sport’s brightest offensive minds, in his corner should help Simpson, who grew up a coach’s son and obviously isn’t being labeled as a lost cause so early on. Even in a premier conference, the signal-caller was able to put up worthwhile numbers and ranked seventh in the country in completions.
Still, Rams fans are allowed to be a little concerned — their team is a Super Bowl favorite after acquiring Myles Garrett, of course — but it’s understandable that Bennett would have a better grasp on the Rams’ scheme than Simpson would, especially at this juncture. If the story remains the same as McVay’s squad rolls through training camp and the preseason, it might then be time to sound the alarm.
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