As expected, the Los Angeles Rams are giving starting quarterback Matthew Stafford a rest day every other day, and Sean McVay will give Stetson Bennett more opportunities than he’s ever had to feel like a starter. That was the case on Sunday, as Bennett took every rep with the 1s in the Rams’ first training camp practice of 2026.
Per the Rams website, McVay opened camp with Bennett as a starter, not Ty Simpson, the rookie first-round pick who will bide his time as a third-string quarterback until
the coaches see fit to make a change.
Bennett leads first team offense: As noted above, today was a scheduled day off for QB1 with it being Day 1 of the Rams’ first four-day practice block (McVay on Saturday said Stafford would be off Days 1 and 3). So Sunday was a big opportunity for Bennett stepping up to lead the first-team offense, with Simpson sliding into the backup role as the leader of the second team offense.
“I appreciate his competitiveness in all moments,” offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said of Bennett. “And going back to last year, obviously you get to experience him in training camp, you get to experience him in preseason, and just seeing the way that he went to work, the way that guys would rally around him, he competes. And I think anybody enjoys playing with a quarterback who competes, who’s going to throw it all in there, and that’s the mentality he has. And so that’s only grown, you know, since being here, but that’s something that’s been his calling card since the jump.”
Through his first three seasons in the NFL, including a tumultuous rookie year that saw him inactive for reasons that he later cited as “mental health”, Bennett has strictly been a third-string quarterback and preseason starter. Bennett’s workload in the preseason over the last two years has been far more than the average player because McVay refuses to put either Stafford or his backup into harm’s way during exhibition weeks.
Bennett has had a few hero plays during that time, but also threw way too many interceptions. There was one point when Bennett had thrown seven interceptions between his most recent touchdown and his next touchdown.
A quarterback who turns 29 in October, Bennett has yet to be active for an NFL game. If he wins the backup quarterback job, Bennett’s entire future could change, and it’s not the most ludicrous possibility in the world. Stafford wasn’t always backed up by experienced players like Jimmy Garoppolo and Blake Bortles, but has also had John Wolford and Bryce Perkins and Brett Rypien.
Surely if the bar is Wolford, Bennett isn’t out of the running.
Meanwhile, Simpson didn’t get any reps with the starters, but did work with the 2s and Stu Jackson called him “eager” to learn more:
Although Simpson didn’t run with the first-team offense during the 11-on-11 drills, after every time he got taken out, he would walk over to associate coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone for feedback. The eagerness and willingness to learn and receive feedback and criticism is good to see out of the rookie.
It is perhaps more likely that the Rams would sign or trade for a veteran than to promote Simpson before Week 1, if Stetson Bennett fails to impress coaches enough to be named as Stafford’s backup.
It’s only day one so a lot can happen before then. Until those decisions are made, Bennett’s going to get more opportunities in one month than he’s had in the last three years combined.
