The Rams still don’t have a clear answer at QB2, and that makes Thursday’s preseason matchup with the Chargers worth watching.
Sean McVay has not settled on who will sit behind Matthew Stafford when the games start counting, leaving Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett locked in a summer competition that has stretched through the preseason. On Monday, McVay said he still is sorting through how he wants to divide the quarterback work this week, but Ty Simpson will get into the game against Los Angeles.
“Sean McVay said he has not decided which quarterback will back up Matthew Stafford,” Barshop wrote. “McVay said he is still working out how he will allocate quarterback reps on Thursday but said Ty Simpson will play.”
The two quarterbacks have already taken turns as the featured arm in the Rams’ first two preseason games. Simpson handled the Kansas City Chiefs game, where he threw 25 passes. Bennett got the spotlight against the New Orleans Saints and finished 19 of 31 for 181 yards.
Bennett enters the final year of his rookie contract as the older of the two options at 28, though he still hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game for Los Angeles. He’s been in McVay’s system for two seasons now after spending his rookie year on the reserve/non-football illness list.
Simpson, meanwhile, is the 13th overall pick from April’s NFL Draft and has been viewed as Stafford’s eventual successor. For now, though, the Rams are still sorting out the immediate backup job. That decision will have to be made eventually, even if the team’s preferred outcome is to keep both quarterbacks around in 2026 and continue developing them as insurance behind Stafford.
In Other News...
Aaron Donald's Rams Return Hinges On One Huge Reality
Aaron Donalds possible return to the Rams is turning into more than just a football question. The former defensive tackle has already taken two workouts with the team and is expected to have more before making a decision on coming out of retirement, which has kept the conversation alive around a player whose standard in Los Angeles was set at an elite level for years.
The biggest wrinkle is the business side, where the Rams and Donald are working through how to handle the $30 million owed from his previous contract and whether there is a new financial arrangement that makes sense for both sides. Even with the workouts underway, the larger issue remains whether Donald would be comfortable returning only if he can still play at the kind of high level that defined his career. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Rookie Battle Just Got Tighter Before Final Roster Cuts
The Rams have spent most of August sorting out the edges of their rookie class, and the preseason has given them a clearer sense of which first-year players have pushed themselves into the conversation. With the finale against the Chargers looming, the focus is less on flashy moments than on consistency, health and whether those young players can hold up enough to survive the final cutdown decisions.
Several rookies have made their case in different ways, whether through recent game contributions or by simply staying on the field as the roster churns around them. Injuries have also shaped the picture, leaving some spots more open than they looked a couple of weeks ago, and the last tune-up should go a long way toward clarifying who is truly in position to make the 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Make A Tough Call On One Draft Pick Soon
The Rams are getting close to the part of camp where the margin for error gets razor-thin, and that has put seventh-round draft pick Tim Keenan III in an uneasy spot. He came into the offseason as a developmental defensive lineman the team could try to mold over time, but the preseason has not given him much of a boost compared with others fighting for the same roster space.
With final cutdowns approaching, Keenan is one of the names to watch because the Rams could decide his best path is off the 53-man roster and back on the practice squad if he gets through waivers. For a late-round pick, that kind of move is never ideal, but it is also part of the business when a team has to balance long-term upside against immediate depth. [Read more 🡒]