The Rams have spent 2025 reworking a quarterback room that once looked thin on long-term answers. Matthew Stafford was there, Jimmy Garoppolo was there, and veteran reserve Stetson Bennett was there too - but only Bennett was under contract through 2026, and Stafford’s back injury made it clear the team needed a succession plan before long.
That plan has now taken shape. Los Angeles has moved on from Jimmy G, drafted Ty Simpson, and then added Matt Caldwell out of Texas. Bennett could be in position to serve as QB2 this season, and the Rams suddenly look like a team that has found its next franchise quarterback in Simpson.
The pick did not land the way many expected it to. In fact, it didn’t match the thinking of a lot of analysts either. But general manager Les Snead had one shot - one silver bullet first-round draft pick - to address the quarterback spot, and he used it on Simpson.
At first, plenty of skeptics were quick to object. Now, those same critics are coming around fast.
What makes this shift so striking is how different the Rams’ quarterback picture looks from the one Sean McVay has usually had since arriving in 2017. For years, the depth chart behind the starter was filled with names like John Wolford and Brett Rypien, the sort of veteran stopgaps unlikely to shape the future. The 2026 version feels much different, with Simpson, Bennett, and Caldwell giving the Rams actual hope and real youth on the bench.
None of that means Simpson’s path is simple. Preseason is only Step 1 in what the Rams understand will be a long climb to becoming an NFL quarterback. He’ll have to clear plenty of hurdles before anyone can call the job finished.
Still, the larger picture is hard to miss. Los Angeles no longer looks like a team stuck in a quarterback crisis.
That matters even more because the Rams have been leaning on veterans while quietly building something behind them. Simpson is the headliner, but Snead has also stocked the roster with other young names, including tackle Keagen Trost, receiver CJ Daniels, tight ends Max Klare and Terrance Ferguson, and running backs Dean Connors and Jordan Waters, both of whom are on the practice squad.
The 2026 season is shaping up as an all-in year for the Horns, and it also feels like the bridge away from the chapter that started in 2021 with Stafford’s arrival. Whether Stafford plays beyond 2026 is no longer the central question. This could be the final run together for a number of Rams veterans before contracts run out and the team’s tight payroll sends others elsewhere.
For now, though, the future has something to latch onto. The young players are waiting for their turn, and in Simpson, the Rams believe they have the quarterback who can make that next chapter worth reading.
In Other News...
Rams Hype Just Ran Into A Brutal Playoff Warning
The Rams have spent the offseason living with championship expectations, and Pete Prisco isnt backing away from that part of the conversation. The NFL analyst sees Los Angeles finishing with the NFCs top seed and earning a first-round bye, which fits the buzz around a roster that has drawn plenty of praise and even stronger Super Bowl support from the betting market.
But Priscos view turns sharp once the playoffs actually begin. Even with the appeal of recent additions like Myles Garrett and the return of Aaron Donald, he is skeptical the Rams will handle the pressure of those expectations, and he has them falling in their first postseason game to the Seahawks. Its a warning that lands hard for a team built to contend, because the regular-season ceiling may be high even if the postseason path still looks fragile. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Make Another Quick Draft Pick Decision Fans Will Notice
The Rams have already made another small but noticeable roster tweak, cutting defensive lineman Tim Keenan III from the practice squad to create room for edge rusher Jamie Sheriff. Keenan, a seventh-round draft pick, never made much of a mark during the preseason, and his quick exit is another reminder of how little margin there is at the back end of an NFL roster.
Sheriff arrives as developmental depth at a position the Rams continue to monitor, bringing a fresh look after spending time with the Seahawks. For a team that has been willing to turn over the bottom of the roster quickly, the move fits a familiar pattern, even if it leaves the larger question of how the Rams want to build out that edge group still hanging there. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Opener Just Got Tougher With Nick Bosa Trending This Way
The Rams trip to Australia for the season opener already carried enough unfamiliarity without having to factor in Nick Bosa, and the 49ers edge rusher is suddenly looking much more like a real part of the opener picture. Bosa returned to practice for the first time since Aug. 3 after dealing with tendinitis in his right knee, the same knee that previously went through ACL surgery, giving San Francisco a late but meaningful lift as the teams prepare to open in Melbourne.
Bosa is traveling with the 49ers and said he is cautiously optimistic about being ready for the game, which is exactly the kind of development the Rams would rather not have to monitor this close to kickoff. He also sounded settled into the unusual road trip ahead, talking about the recovery process and even looking forward to trying some local coffee and checking out nature exhibits, but for Los Angeles the bigger issue is simple: the opener just got a lot more complicated if Bosa keeps trending this way. [Read more 🡒]