Just as they did in the preseason, the Los Angeles Rams listed Stetson Bennett as the No. 2 quarterback on their unofficial depth chart for Week 1. That put Ty Simpson as the QB3 behind Matthew Stafford and Bennett, but the Rams don’t view the rookie as a third-stringer.
Sean McVay said on Friday that while Bennett is second on the depth chart
, he views Stetson and Simpson as 2A and 2B behind Stafford.That obviously wasn’t the case with Jimmy Garoppolo and Bennett last season, but with two young quarterbacks on the roster, the Rams want to make sure both of them get reps during practice. Compared to last year, when Garoppolo was getting all the scout team reps, the Rams plan to split them accordingly between Bennett and Simpson.
Sean McVay said
that while the depth chart lists Stetson Bennett IV as QB2 and Ty Simpson as QB3, he looks at it as "2A, 2B." Explaining why this is different than previous years, McVay said Jimmy Garoppolo took all of the scout team reps when he was the backup, whereas this…
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 4, 2026
After the final preseason game, which Bennett sat out, McVay declined to name a backup quarterback. Simpson played well all summer, as did Bennett, making the competition much more interesting than some expected.
Bennett has the advantage of experience, having spent the last three years in McVay's system. But this preseason, Simpson showed why the Rams took him in Round 1, displaying good accuracy, mobility and processing in all three games.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay explains why Stetson Bennett, Ty Simpson are 2A and 2B at QB
