Rams fans already have a good reason to circle the preseason, and it starts with Ty Simpson.
The rookie quarterback is expected to be the face of the 2026 Los Angeles Rams preseason, and he probably won’t be alone for long. The rest of the team’s 2026 draft class should also get most of its work in those two or three games, where the Rams tend to sort out young players rather than give veterans a tune-up.
That approach is part of what makes the Rams’ preseason different. Los Angeles does not use those games to shake off rust for established players the way plenty of teams do.
Instead, the snaps go to rookies and players fighting to stick. Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett are both likely to sit, and the Rams generally keep starters out of preseason action altogether, along with some of the main rotational pieces.
For fans, that means the fun is in watching the next wave take shape.
Simpson should have a chance to build timing with a group that could matter down the line, including wide receiver CJ Daniels, tight end Max Klare and running back Jarquez Hunter, a 2025 fourth-round pick. That kind of early chemistry is exactly what the Rams are hoping to uncover.
And if recent history is any guide, those preseason standouts can wind up playing real roles once the games count. Last August, sophomore receivers Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith, along with rookie Konata Mumpfield, were the names that popped. None of them won starting jobs, but each made his mark during the season, and Smith and Mumpfield became especially involved late in the year after Davante Adams was sidelined by hamstring issues.
That’s been the Rams’ formula for a while. They do not live in the early rounds of the draft, so they’ve had to get good at developing late-round rookies and turning preseason reps into something useful. Simpson is the team’s only first-round pick in 2026, which only adds to the intrigue.
Fans who want to see what the excitement is about will get their chance soon enough.
In Other News...
Rams Backup Quarterback Debate Just Took A Serious Turn
The Rams backup quarterback conversation has taken on a little more urgency after former NFL scout Daniel Kelly floated a trade idea that would bring in a more seasoned option behind Matthew Stafford. His case is rooted in a simple concern: the current depth chart does not offer much in the way of proven NFL experience, with Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett still waiting for their first snaps.
Kelly pointed to one available passer as the kind of insurance policy the Rams should consider, leaning on that quarterbacks game exposure and recent efficiency to argue he would fit the role. Whether Los Angeles actually entertains the idea is another matter, but the discussion underscores how thin the margin can feel when Stafford is the one holding the offense together. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Have Finally Put Emmanuel Forbes In The Right Spot
Emmanuel Forbes Jr. got thrown into the fire last season, and the Rams needed every bit of his aggression when injuries ravaged the secondary. He ended up starting a career-high 14 games and even flashed the kind of ball production that can change a defense, finishing with three interceptions and a forced fumble while showing he can make plays when the ball is in the air.
The issue was the rest of the picture, because the same style that created turnovers also came with missed tackles and too many damaging gains allowed behind him. This year, the Rams appear ready to put him in a cleaner lane, with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson handling the outside work while Forbes slides into a more limited role that should ask less of him and lean more into what he does best. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Staffords Role In Ty Simpsons Future Just Got More Interesting
The coaching pipeline around the NFC West keeps producing familiar names, and K.J. Wright is the latest example. The former Seahawks linebacker is now in his third year with the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach, and his old coordinator in Seattle, Ken Norton Jr., still sees a long runway ahead for him, with confidence that Wright can keep climbing through the ranks.
For the Rams, the more immediate development story is unfolding in the quarterback room, where first-round pick Ty Simpson is learning behind Matthew Stafford. Simpson has leaned on Stafford for guidance as he settles in, and the veteran's presence has given the rookie a steadier path than most young passers get, even as the bigger questions about how far that relationship can go remain part of the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]