Ty Simpson again stole headlines in the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-18 win over the Chargers on Thursday night, yet fellow rookie CJ Daniels has earned a chance in the spotlight. Following a second straight promising game, Daniels has seemingly done enough to earn a roster spot, as he’s been one of the Rams’ most consistent wideouts this preseason.
We’ll get into that more shortly, but let’s dive into the good, the bad and the ugly against the Chargers in the preseason finale on Thursday night.
The Good
Ty Simpson has secured the backup position … maybe
Did Simpson
secure the backup position? There’s a chance, but Sean McVay is going to take his sweet ass time making a decision.
The quarterback battle in Los Angeles shouldn’t be a battle at all given what we’ve seen this preseason. Simpson has simply outplayed Stetson Bennett and should be rewarded with the backup role. Why should the Rams put up with mediocrity behind Matthew Stafford? They haven’t put up with average with the rest of the roster.
There’s more on that in a bit. The rookie has truly been sensational this preseason. He didn’t make a single mistake in his three appearances, which is crucial to note. Additionally, he demonstrated high efficiency and poise like someone who has played in this offense for years.
Simpson’s performance in the Chargers game proves he was the team’s option all along, because through three preseason appearances, he already looked more NFL-ready than Bennett has after FOUR SEASONS.
For crying out loud McVay, this shouldn’t be a difficult choice to make. Ride the hot hand and see where it takes you.
Defense did just enough
This was perhaps the defense’s worst showing of the preseason, yet they did what they could to finish on a high note.
Yes, Justin Herbert tore them up early on, and the Chargers’ running game racked up over 200 yards. Outside of Herbert, they remained strong against the pass.
DJ Uiagalelei and Trey Lance were held to a combined 11-of-20 for 141 yards and no touchdowns. Lance had zero completions, so a terrible showing is pretty on brand for him. Both QBs were also sacked four times. The Chargers were also held to a combined 3-of-10 on third- and fourth-down, and 0-for-1 in the red zone.
This preseason, the Rams finished by giving up 30 points in three games, which is really good. They also only allowed two touchdowns in that span, both coming against the Chargers.
It wasn’t the prettiest effort, yet the unit didn’t break and did enough to keep LA in a position to win every game. I can’t say it enough, but if this is how the backups play, imagine how much fun the defense will be once the regular season kicks off.
Best preseason showing in the McVay era
Who says preseason efforts don’t matter? Well, I mean, they don’t, yet an undefeated showing is nothing to sneeze at, as many of the team’s backups got valuable reps.
It goes without saying that this was the best preseason showing in the McVay era, and it’s not remotely close.
The Rams went 2-2 in each of their first three preseason slates with McVay at the helm. They’ve finished close to unbeaten in each of the last two seasons following an 0-3 finish in 2023, which hilariously included a 41-0 loss to the Broncos in Denver.
For a team that regularly doesn’t play its starters during the exhibition series — with McVay usually even handing off his play calling duties — it was refreshing to see effort. Part of what helped was Simpson’s play, which has undoubtedly made this preseason more enjoyable to watch than others.
During the 2021 campaign when LA most recently won the Super Bowl, they also finished 0-3. In all likelihood, that doesn’t mean a darn thing heading into the 2026 season. Either way, it’s still interesting.
The Bad
The CJ Daniels waiting game
Daniels should make the roster. There I said it.
After a quiet start to preseason, Daniels ended the exhibition matches with back-to-back quality games against the Saints and Chargers. In those two games, he had 13 catches for 110 yards on 19 targets. While he didn’t reach the end zone, it shouldn’t matter, as he’s been one of the team’s most consistent receivers the past two weeks.
The only issue is, his efforts might be in vain, which would be deeply unfortunate.
LA trading back for Tutu Atwell before the game certainly complicates things. It shouldn’t, though, because when has this team ever used Atwell correctly, or at all?
Daniels deserves a roster spot due to him being a quality young option who can rack up decent production and be a reliable target. If Atwell’s return is going to cut into another receiver’s reps, why should that be allowed?
Since we know enough about Bennett to know he’s not the guy, shouldn’t the front office have already known Atwell is in a similar spot? We’ve been waiting for Tutu to break out for how many years now? Give his reps to someone more deserving, like Daniels, to see if they can take off and make the most of the opportunities Atwell never could.
The waiting game is maddening while cutdowns happen, and keep your fingers crossed for Daniels. LA might regret it if they let him go to another team and it pans out.
Coaching staff’s management of QBs in a pointless battle
If there’s one gripe I’ve had about preseason — besides the common complaint that it’s pointless — it’s that the Rams completely mismanaged the quarterback situation.
A week ago, we were wondering where Simpson was. This week, we were asking the same about Bennett. Not that I was clamouring to see him attempt to cosplay as an NFL QB, but still.
With Bennett not playing Thursday, does that mean he unofficially locked up the backup job? Were the Rams preserving his health in case they intend to trade him before the season? Has McVay seen enough from him, which again, could be a good or a bad thing? What does it all mean?!
In last week’s Good, Bad and Ugly, I complained that Simpson didn’t play enough against the Saints. Every rep he receives is valuable, and it made zero sense not to have him on the field for longer. We’re already well aware that Bennett isn’t in the team’s long-term (and possibly) short-term future.
The coaching staff playing Simpson longer this week doesn’t make up for his lack of reps against New Orleans. It stole more opportunities to get valuable NFL experience that could significantly benefit him down the road should he earn the backup role.
Regardless of whatever happens, my head still hurts, and I’m off to pop a couple aspirin.
The Ugly
None for the second straight week. The Rams’ backups looked great and ended preseason on a high note. Now, we’re on to the regular season. Bring it on!
