Sean McVay isn’t just asking Ty Simpson to learn the Rams offense. He wants the rookie quarterback to learn how to sound like the guy in charge.
Simpson’s first season is expected to be spent mostly on the sideline, watching Matthew Stafford and soaking in the job. But McVay made it clear that when Simpson eventually gets his chance, the Rams want more than a quarterback who knows where to go with the ball. They want a presence.
McVay said Simpson should be working on how he talks to teammates, down to rehearsing in the mirror what he’ll say in the huddle.
“What does it look like to be able to communicate, especially as a quarterback?” McVay said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.
“How am I saying the plays? . . . You have to see plays when you’re saying them, otherwise you can’t call plays in this offense. . . .
Practicing in the mirror, what does your voice inflection look like? How are you emphasizing certain things?
How are you really being able to go through the mechanics of everything that happens before the snap? And then what’s my footwork?
What’s my timing and rhythm?”
The message is pretty simple: if Simpson is forced into action this season, it probably means something has gone wrong with Stafford. In that kind of moment, McVay knows the rookie will need to do more than line up and throw. He’ll need to walk into the huddle and give the rest of the Rams a reason to believe.
In Other News...
Stetson Bennett Faces Defining Rams Camp With Backup Job Pressure
Training camp is about to put the Rams backup quarterback picture under the microscope, with Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson both trying to carve out a clear role behind Matthew Stafford. The two have reportedly looked similar through OTAs, and the team is expecting growth from both as the competition shifts into a more revealing setting.
Bennett, entering his fourth year, has a little more urgency attached to this summer because his contract situation is moving toward a decision point after the season. The Rams are also weighing what kind of value he really has in the long run, which makes camp more than just a depth chart battle and gives Bennett a chance to strengthen his case before the team has to decide how seriously it wants to invest in him. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Finally Have Their Secondary Security Blanket Back
The Rams have spent the past couple of seasons trying to rebuild the kind of stability they once had on the back end, and adding Trent McDuffie gives them a very different look in the cornerback room. Pairing him with Jaylen Watson gives Los Angeles a more flexible foundation, and McDuffies ability to line up outside or move around the field should give Chris Shula more ways to shape the defense week to week.
What makes this addition especially notable is the way McDuffie has already established himself as more than just another coverage body. His versatility and performance metrics point to a player who can change the feel of a secondary, and for a Rams defense that has been searching for a true anchor at corner, that matters. The bigger question now is how quickly Los Angeles can turn that upgrade into something that shows up on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Finally Have An O Line Question Fans Want Answered
The guard market keeps getting more expensive, and that makes the Rams interior worth a closer look. Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson have given Los Angeles one of the leagues most stable combinations inside, the kind of pairing that matters more every time another team pays up to protect the middle of its line. Avila settled in at guard and held up well, while Dotson has continued to look like the sort of veteran starter who can anchor a playoff-caliber front.
For a team built to contend, that kind of continuity is a real edge, and it helps explain why the Rams are being mentioned with the NFLs best guard tandems heading into 2026. The question now is how long that setup lasts, because Dotsons next contract situation is already looming and the market for guards keeps rising. If Los Angeles wants to keep its interior strength intact, it may have to make a decision sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]