Ty Simpson’s place on the L.A. Rams depth chart could make Stetson Bennett one of the more intriguing trade chips in the NFL backup quarterback market in training camp. Around the league, teams have struggled to find competent depth behind their starting quarterbacks, increasing the value of someone like Bennett in comparison. If Bennett is pushed down the depth chart and viewed as expendable, his name could come up as an option for other teams knowing that it wouldn’t cost more than a late round pick
swap.
Perhaps ideally at the end of training camp if Simpson has won the Rams’ backup quarterback position.
Ty Simpson must be backup, not buried on depth chart
Although the Rams have framed the Simpson pick at 13th overall as a move that won’t necessarily impact Bennett’s place on the team, with Sean McVay saying that the team also warned Bennett about the decision, that feels like a reach. Simpson would not only benefit from the experience he’d gain if Matthew Stafford was out of the game for any reason, but he’d also gain valuable experience from being prepared to go into a game at any moment.
Nobody can guarantee that Simpson will win the backup quarterback job in training camp. But if he doesn’t, that’s not the message that McVay and Les Snead want to send to a fan base that was left scratching their heads on draft night.
Either Simpson has threatened Bennett’s place on the roster or he is one of the first players in history to be drafted in the top-15 as a QB3.
If Bennett isn’t QB2 in L.A., he could be somewhere else
Bennett is used to being the Rams’ QB3, he’s been doing it for years now, but by year four shouldn’t he be expected to be a QB2? He did hold the job for a few weeks recently while Jimmy Garoppolo was suspended, but that’s it.
As strange as it sounds to say that a fourth-year player with no regular season experience who turns 29 in October could be a tradeable asset, the state of the league’s quarterback situation and the lack of quality players entering the NFL through the draft has made Bennett a slightly intriguing option at a low price.
Check out some of these names who are currently favored to win backup QB positions in the NFL next season:
- Quinn Ewers, Dolphins
- Tommy DeVito, Patriots
- Cade Klubnik, Jets
- Teddy Bridgewater, Lions
- Steelers: Competition if Aaron Rodgers retires
- Chiefs: Unclear when Patrick Mahomes can return
Despite rumors that he would return, Rodgers still hasn’t told the Steelers if he plans to play in 2026. If he doesn’t, then Pittsburgh is holding a competition between Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Drew Allar. If the Steelers get two weeks into camp and they’re panicking from what they see, maybe they’d be trading for a QB at that point.
Mahomes wants to be back by Week 1 from a torn ACL. If it looks like he’ll start the season on PUP, then the Chiefs will start Justin Fields and their backup would be seventh rounder Garrett Nussmeier.
The Jets are so uncomfortable with their backup situation that they’ve been trying to sign Russell Wilson.
Bridgewater used to be a fine backup option. Now he’s 33 and only thrown 15 passes in the last three years.
And interestingly, the defending AFC Champions are rolling with DeVito for now, an option who for all intents and purposes isn’t better than Stetson Bennett and similar in some ways.
Any of these teams could be considered options right now, but once teams find out what they have in training camp — and potentially as injuries occur — Bennett’s value to the league might go up a tick.
What would the Rams get in return?
The most likely answer is not going to be exciting: The typical trade here is a player on another team who is in a similar situation where he’s been blocked out of a job due to depth or a late day three pick swap.
For example, if the Rams are looking for a receiver in September, they could call the Dolphins and say “Trade us Terrace Marshall and we’ll give you Stetson Bennett”.
Or the Patriots: “Trade us DeMario Douglas for Bennett”.
The names won’t wow you, but neither would Stetson Bennett.
The other option is trading Bennett and a seventh round pick for a sixth round pick. It’s better than nothing, if a team wants Stetson Bennett at all and doesn’t want to risk using a waiver claim on him.
Will the Rams keep 3 QBs?
Bennett has been the QB3 for the past three years (not really including a rookie season in which he was away from the team all year) so it’s not like he couldn’t do it again, especially since Simpson is a rookie.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop has also reported that the Rams want to give Stafford as much time off as possible this offseason, similar to their strategy in 2025, which allowed Stafford to play in all 20 games last season. They never needed Garoppolo in the regular season or playoffs, but he was invaluable as Stafford’s stand-in during the offseason and training camp.
Is Bennett the best person for that role now given his experience with McVay’s offense?
That keeps Bennett in the fold for now, but what happens in August? That’s when Ty Simpson should be charging ahead and wowing coaches to the point where they decide he needs to be QB2. And if that happens, Bennett is no longer sitting behind an established veteran…he’s waiting behind someone who is younger and everyone knows should be next in line for L.A.. Now and in the future.
Then Bennett shouldn’t be kept on the roster at all. At least, not the Rams roster.
