LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are the toast of the NFL after trading for Myles Garrett and the potential return of All-Pro performer Aaron Donald looming. Everyone thinks they are going to win the Super Bowl.
But even with all the star talent that there is on Los Angeles’ roster, there’s one thing that could hinder the Rams’ hopes of lifting the Lombardi Trophy: the backup quarterback situation.
That wasn’t an issue last season, which might have been a surprise considering that Matthew Stafford missed the first month of training camp due to a lingering back injury. Stafford played the entire regular season for the first time since 2021 and went on to win MVP for the first time in his career, leading Los Angeles to the NFC Championship Game.
Stafford’s good bill of health has continued through the start of training camp this year as well, as he was a healthy participant in his first training camp practice on Monday. However, how the Rams handle the 38-year-old should still be top of mind ahead of the 2026 season.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has already said he will take a cautious approach to the star quarterback’s practice time, too. Stafford will participate in every second and fourth day of the team’s four-day practice cycle as the Rams want to make sure he gets to the team’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia healthy.
“I’m just doing everything I can to make sure that my body and my mind feel as good as I possibly can,” Stafford told reporters this week. “Every time I’m out here, obviously you guys know I’m giving everything I got and trying to raise the level of play and help our guys be as good as we possibly can as a team.”
Ty Simpson (left) and Stetson Bennett (center) are competing to be Matthew Stafford’s backup. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Stafford on a pitch count means more reps for surprise first-round selection Ty Simpson, drafted as the heir apparent to Stafford once he retires. The Alabama product played in only 15 games in college, and he needs as many reps as possible to get comfortable in McVay’s scheme, one of the more complex offenses in the league.
For now, though, Simpson is running with the third group behind Stafford and Stetson Bennett. Bennett, who Los Angeles drafted in the fourth round three years ago after helping Georgia win two national titles, has predictably shown better command of the offense than the rookie.
Bennett struggled in his first year in the league but has improved every year he’s been with the organization, particularly showing playmaking ability in preseason games. Bennett is more likely equipped to take on the role of backup instead of Simpson.
“I appreciate his competitiveness in all moments,” Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said about Bennett. “Going back to last year, obviously you get to experience him in the training camp. You get to experience him in preseason. And just seeing the way that he went to work, the way the guys would rally around him. He competes. … That’s something that’s been his calling card since the jump.”
Although Simpson is running with the third group, McVay said he’s not pigeonholed into keeping the rotation the same, allowing the chance for things to evolve as the Rams compete in joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, along with three preseason games.
Scheelhaase said he likes Simpson’s focused approach to practice. After every series, Simpson meets with quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone on the sideline to over adjustments that he needs to make in running the offense.
“When you got that mindset, that workman’s mentality, you’re going to just see growth happen day in and day out,” Scheelhaase said about Simpson. “I like where he’s at, like the opportunity that he’s going to get to just continue to grow in this camp.”
Still, even as heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Rams have a 38-year-old quarterback with a back injury history and are a play away from having a quarterback who has never made a regular-season start in Bennett or Simpson. And as the Rams juggle practice snaps for the inexperienced backup quarterbacks, they could also be without their starting left tackle. Alaric Jackson faces a possible suspension at the start of the year due to a domestic violence charge he was arrested for in June.
So, sure, the Rams might have the NFL’s next Super Team and one of the most star-studded rosters in recent memory. But they could use a more experienced alternative behind Stafford should he suffer an injury that makes him miss a handful of games. Someone who can win a game in a pinch that keeps Los Angeles on a Super Bowl trajectory while Stafford heals up.
The backup quarterback competition for the Rams is also instructive in understanding why McVay showed interest in Kirk Cousins before he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. It also helps understand why the possibility of a retired Jimmy Garoppolo returning as a backup still remains. After serving as Stafford’s backup the last two seasons, Garoppolo is considering a return to Los Angeles, according to multiple reports.
I’ve said in years past that the Rams needed to develop a succession plan for Stafford. However, even after the Rams drafted a quarterback in the first round for the first time since taking Jared Goff No. 1 overall in the 2016 draft, their backup quarterback situation remains questionable in a year that they’re all-in to win a Super Bowl, and they could have used that pick to add depth along the offensive line or at receiver.
Despite the lack of experience behind Stafford and the possible shake-up on his offensive line, McVay isn’t concerned about the outside noise.
“I respectfully say that your guys’ opinions doesn’t mean s— to us,” McVay joked with reporters this week. “But in all seriousness, though, what I think is important is that we’re inside out. There’s going to be adversity that inevitably we hit. How we handle that will be key, how we stay connected and how we continue to be courageous to put ourselves out there with the unpredictability of what sports entails.”
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