The Los Angeles Rams will get their first look at rookie quarterback Ty Simpson in a preseason game on Saturday and the 13th overall pick will have plenty to prove against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not just to fans, not just to skeptics, and not just to coaches, but also to himself.
He would also probably like to prove something to Rams starter Matthew Stafford.
Simpson noted this week that he “bothers” Matthew Stafford a lot, but that’s what he should be doing in what could be his only season behind
the 2025 MVP.
Shrugging with the self-awareness of a man who has learned that pride is the enemy of preparation, “I probably bother Matthew a lot,” Simpson admitted.
“In a type of way to where he probably thinks I’m annoying. Sometimes I’m like, ‘All right, maybe that’s the one for tomorrow.’ But no, we actually talked this morning. He asked me, ‘Hey, how do you feel about the game and stuff?’ The best advice he gave me was just, man, go let it rip. It’s nothing that you haven’t done before.”
The Rams play the Chiefs at 1 PM PT on Saturday, with Stetson Bennett getting the start and Simpson coming into the game sometime later. In a way, Bennett’s performance is more important. Can the Rams count on him as a backup? But all eyes will be on the rookie.
Even Stafford’s.
Here are Saturday’s pre-game links!
“Simpson puts Rams first by being last” (Sporting News)
He has not gotten the reps. Not the ones that matter.
While Matthew Stafford — who has thrown for more than 50,000 career yards and delivered Los Angeles a championship — commands the huddle highlighted by Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams team, and Stetson Bennett — the former Georgia star who collected two national title rings — steadies the reps Stafford doesn’t, Simpson has been the third man in a two-man race, a voice without an echo, a student without a desk.
But absence has taught him presence.
“I’m not getting as many of the reps as Stetson and Matthew, so I want to make sure that I get those throws in that they got on the field,” Simpson said. “Not get caught up in just sitting around and not being locked in. I want to be locked in mentally and locked in physically as well.”
Simpson “ready to show who I am” (LA Times)
What do you expect to see from Ty Simpson on Saturday? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Aaron Donald’s Comeback Draws ‘Break Your Heart’ Warning (Heavy)
“In his training camp superlatives for ESPN, Solak named Donald and the Rams “most likely to break your heart,” a warning aimed at the growing assumption that a reunion could turn an already talented defense into an overwhelming one.
The Rams don’t have a commitment from Donald, who remains retired after sitting out the past two seasons.
Even if he comes back, Solak argued the 35-year-old should be viewed differently than the player who spent a decade wrecking game plans in Los Angeles.“
Will you be watching Rams-Chiefs preseason game?
On Friday, I created a poll asking who will be watching the game. So far, it looks like more of the fans plan on watching the game! That’s great, and I hope you’ll check out our game thread!
If you aren’t going to watch the game, make sure you check out Turf Show Times after to catch everything you missed! It’s preseason, but it’s still real football action. You’re going to want to know how the Rams did and any potential updates that could impact the season. Every detail in the NFL matters.
The winner of this game may not matter, but the performances will. Are you ready to see Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson in 2026? You should get the chance today starting at 4pm Eastern Time when L.A. takes the field against Kansas City.
No, it’s not the regular season, yet. But football is back, baby.
Rams Preseason Opener: Who Will Play and Who Won’t vs. Chiefs (si.com)
“The Los Angeles Rams will play their first preseason game on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ever since Sean McVay has been the head coach, the Rams have not played their starters during the preseason and that isn’t about to change in 2026. Here are the players who won’t play, might play, and will definitely play during the preseason, along with who to watch.“
5 players to watch: Rams at Chiefs, 2026 Preseason Week 1 (therams.com)
“Head coach Sean McVay talked about using the preseason to see how Simpson will respond to a pocket collapsing, and how he is “reacting and playing within (his) rules” while also playing instinctually. Saturday will be the first extended opportunity for him to showcase all of those things in a live game setting after working through them during Rams Training Camp.
“I’m super excited,” Simpson said after practice on Thursday. “It’s the first time I get to play a game not only in a Rams uniform, but in an NFL uniform, and I’m just really ready to show just who I am.”
Rams’ Ty Simpson is ready for his name to be called Saturday in preseason debut (ocregister)
“In the Rams’ first-round draft pick’s recollection of events, throwing for just 73 passing yards and completing 5 of 9 attempts against USF, he wasn’t nearly as ready as he should have been. He wasn’t nearly as sharp. He wasn’t nearly as prepared as he should have been to play; the Crimson Tide scraping by in Simpson’s first real chance in college behind center.
Simpson, he said Thursday before the Rams travel to Kansas City in their first preseason game of the season at 1 p.m. on Saturday, isn’t willing for that to happen again in his debut in Rams stripes.
I was not as ready as I probably should have been and the team suffered for it,” Simpson said. “I look back on it as something that I have learned and told myself I wouldn’t do that again.”
The 23-year-old signal caller’s place on the Rams is a rarity. They selected Simpson 13th overall, rewarding him with a four-year contract often attached to his draft position. But first-round quarterbacks are often competing for starting reps.“
Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs: How to watch, listen to and live stream 2026 Preseason Week 1 (rams.com)
“The Rams host the Chiefs on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium to kick off their 2026 preseason. The two teams last met in Week 12 of the 2022 season where the Rams lost to the Chiefs 26-10. Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. pacific time on Rams TV affiliate KCBS.
HOW CAN I WATCH RAMS-CHIEFS ON TV?
Sideline reporter: Darren Haynes
TV Coverage: CBS LA (locally in Los Angeles, plus other TV partners – see below)
Play-by-Play: JB Long
Color Analysts: Rob Havenstein and Jourdan Rodrigue”
Judge rules against Rams in latest NFL arbitration case (espn.com)
“Last year, two separate courts moved in favor of coaches’ challenges to NFL arbitration requirements — one in Nevada Supreme Court in favor of former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and the other in the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The league declined to comment Thursday on the California case.
In that case, the Rams had filed a motion to compel former employee Brittany Todd into arbitration after she sued the team, alleging it had fired her after she reported workplace misconduct to human resources. The team argued that Todd, who :worked for the Rams from July 2017 to March 2026, signed its updated arbitration agreement in April 2025 and could not sue it in court. Todd does not deny that she signed the update or that her claims fall within the scope of the arbitration agreement, according to the ruling. Instead, her attorney argued that the agreement is “unenforceable because it is unconscionable.”
Sean McVay ‘grateful’ for Bubba Ventrone after last year’s special teams mess (ramswire)
“Some worked, some didn’t. As a result, McVay decided on a fresh start this offseason by hiring Bubba Ventrone to utilize the pieces already on the roster, while providing valuable additions to improve glaring weaknesses. The front office did its job, and for McVay, he couldn’t be happier with Ventrone.
“Yeah, he’s a stud,” said McVay about Ventrone. “He’s got great energy. He’s got great capacity. He makes those guys feel like he’s in it with them. I think he sees the game live really well too. He’s able to make corrections in real time and that’s really important to me. He’s very smart. He’s passionate about teams. I think he gets credibility too because he played it at a really high level.”
Rams news: LA dealt attention-grabbing Super Bowl reality take (sports.yahoo)
“Last 30 years in the NFL, the preseason favorite…you only talked about four of them winning the actual championship, and those four teams, their quarterbacks, Tom Brady, done it twice, Peyton Manning, Hall of Famer, and Patrick Mahomes, future Hall of Famer. I can’t assign that level of success to them just based on what we’ve seen from the trends because we know when you have that preseason favorite moniker, everybody is circling you on their schedule,” Canty said.
“You got a target on your back. It’s a very different thing being a hunted versus a hunter,” Canty continued. “Only two quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl, age 39 or older: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady.”
Rams could survive a Puka Nacua suspension by turning to familiar formula (ramblinfan)
“If Nacua is suspended, LA will have to find success without its star playmaker in Week 1, and perhaps beyond? As luck would have it, fans got a sneak preview of how the Rams might do so from Week 7 last season.
In that game, the Horns demolished a very good Jacksonville Jaguars team, 35 to 7. Matthew Stafford connected three times with Davante Adams in the end zone, once with rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield, and once with rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson. Can the 2026 offense repeat that formula with Nacua potentially sidelined?“
Relive the Rams’ 2026 training camp with the most cinematic shots from LMU (therams.com)
“Take a look back at the Los Angeles Rams’ 2026 Training Camp at Loyola Marymount University presented by Community America Credit Union with the most cinematic shots.”
LA Rams’ Aaron Donald’s Comeback Draws ‘Break Your Heart’ Warning (heavy.com)
“In his training camp superlatives for ESPN, Solak named Donald and the Rams “most likely to break your heart,” a warning aimed at the growing assumption that a reunion could turn an already talented defense into an overwhelming one.
The Rams don’t have a commitment from Donald, who remains retired after sitting out the past two seasons.
Even if he comes back, Solak argued the 35-year-old should be viewed differently than the player who spent a decade wrecking game plans in Los Angeles.“
Comment of the Day:
“I understand AD taking his time. If the Rams are fine with him taking his time so am I . Like I said before with or without him we are a top Superbowl contending team” -ConnecticutRam
