Saturday brought the NFL debut of the Los Angeles Rams first-round pick and quarterback, Ty Simpson. It took two drives with Stetson Bennett as the starter to see the rookie, and the rest was history.
Simpson was pinpoint accurate and led LA to two scoring drives. He willed the Rams to a 20-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
There is more to come on Simpson as well as all encouraging and discouraging performances that came out of this game. Welcome to the first “winners & losers” of the 2026 season.
Winners
Ty Simpson, QB
The Rams’ offense was far from high-flying with Simpson under center. However, we always knew it would be. The preseason environment is tough on reserve quarterbacks. Teams across the NFL can barely field five competent offensive linemen. Their backups are even worse. Simpson effectively played with third stringers and still did not take a single sack in credit to his mobility.
And while things weren’t necessarily dynamic or amazing, Simpson checked every single box someone could realistically want from him. Mobility? We saw it and he made some impressive throws on the move. Accuracy? Check. Arm strength? On display. Poise? We saw a whole lot of it.
The moment simply did not look too big for the rookie quarterback. He understands that if all goes according to plan that he won’t see the field in the regular season. This was his time to reward the Rams for their leap of faith by taking him in the first round and showing fans what they have to look forward to in life after Matthew Stafford.
Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes (84%) for 190 yards and two scores. Of his four completions; (1) he was hit on a hail mary attempt one second before the end of the first half, (2) was a throwaway out the back of the end zone on an RPO, (3) there was a drop mixed in, and (4) a pass was batted at the line of scrimmage. I can’t remember a single errant throw from Simpson on Saturday. He was the definition of under control.
It’s a fair criticism that the training wheels were on and the offense overall was dink and dunk. However, that changed late into the second half and Simpson started airing the ball out. He got better as the game went on. Two preseason contests remain to assess his abilities. If he continues this trajectory, the Rams are in good hands long term.
Shaun Dolac, LB
Davis Allen, TE
Sometimes the most telling thing the Rams can do is not subject an individual player to the preseason. That was the case for both of Dolac and Allen in this game. Dolac was a mainstay in the exhibition games a year ago—now he was dressed in street clothes and watching from the sidelines. Allen was probably always safe. He was listed as a co-starter in the team’s recently released unofficial depth chart. Fans have been skeptical of whether he becomes the odd-man out after the second-round draft selection of Max Klare. Saturday was confirmation that both are effectively locks to man the 53-man roster.
Dean Connors, RB
Much is made of Jarquez Hunter being LA’s fastest running back. Connors looked like he was moving at a completely different speed. The rookie UDFA ran six times for 22 yards (3.7 average) with a long of 11. He also caught all four of his targets for 29 yards and two touchdowns, including one on a screen play from Simpson.
It sure seems that Connors should be moved up the depth chart and competing with Hunter rather than being the last on the field.
Nick Anderson, DB
Similar to Connors, Anderson could have been the best athlete to step onto the field for the defense Saturday. He broke up a team-leading two passes and also led the unit it tackles with eight. He made a tackle for loss on the first drive of the game while the Chiefs played NFL veterans and key role players.
The Rams have a lot of depth at safety and Anderson has an uphill battle to make the team. Still, if LA is serious about improving on special teams, then this seems like someone they should entertain keeping for that purpose.
Brennan Presley, WR
Presley was one of the Rams’ more effective preseason receivers a year ago. He was the most consistently productive pass catcher again on Saturday with multiple long runs after the catch.
Xavier Smith was the primary punt returner. Why not see if Presley could contribute in this fashion as well? Presley did return kicks later in the game and did fine in this role.
Losers
Jarquez Hunter, RB
If you were waiting for Hunter’s breakout moment it never came. He did break an 11-yard run on a sweep.
It’s a sign of where Hunter stands that Ronnie Rivers did not see the field. This is not an automatic death kiss for the second-year running back. Rivers is a veteran that has plenty of preseason experience. There simply may not be much more to learn with Rivers and that could be the reason why LA held him out.
Or Hunter is already buried behind Rivers and could be looking for a new team in a couple of weeks. He didn’t show enough to change his trajectory.
Max Klare, TE
Max Klare is not on the “losers” list because of performance. He was Simpson’s favorite target and caught seven passes for 37 yards. He looked the part as a second-round pick.
But Klare was playing late into the game. He could realistically be on the same development program as Simpson—meaning that if all goes according to plan we won’t see much of the rookie in the regular season. That is a somewhat disappointing outcome given his draft status.
Stetson Bennett, QB
Bennett played only two drives but did not put much on tape to convince the Rams he deserves to be Stafford’s understudy. We’ve seen plenty of Bennett over the last four preseasons and he’s never touched the level we saw from Simpson. The backup quarterback competition may actually not be much of a battle after all. The Rams may just be slow playing Simpson’s development and making him earn the role. Adding a veteran, if the stars align, also makes sense.
Desjuan Johnson, EDGE
Similar to Klare, Johnson played well but ws still in the game late. He was a situational contributor for the defense last year. If the Rams thought he’d have that role again in 2026, he simply would not be on the field late into a preseason contest as he was. This is a concerning sign for someone who has done well since converting from the defensive interior.
