Countdown to Camp is a series breaking down the Rams roster by position group heading into training camp. The first installment examines the quarterbacks.
For the last two offseasons, the Rams had the luxury of veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as their backup. It was especially critical when starter Matthew Stafford missed time with a back injury during training camp last summer, in terms of having an experienced passer who could not only run the offense but also give Los Angeles' defense the looks it needed in those practices.
There's no question what Los Angeles has in QB1, the NFL's reigning MVP coming off a First-Team All-Pro season in which he set new single-season career highs in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46). But with Garoppolo still unsigned and weighing retirement – and veteran free agent Kirk Cousins, who McVay in late March confirmed the Rams were interested in signing before Cousins decided to join the Raiders – what's less clear is what the Rams have at backup quarterback.
Ty Simpson was selected 13th overall in the first round as Stafford's eventual successor, and head coach Sean McVay said during draft weekend that Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup job. Thus, the circumstances surrounding the QB2 role make this an important training camp for L.A.'s quarterback room, particularly Simpson and Bennett's progress and development.
Bennett had a good spring, with McVay pleased with what he saw from the fourth-year quarterback throughout OTAs. Bennett was in the backup role before, holding it while Garoppolo served a two-game suspension to begin the 2024 season.
"I've seen tremendous growth," McVay said on June 8. "Obviously, with Matthew not being out here based on the plan and the schedule that we've kind of thought was going to be best for him for now and for the long term, Stetson's gotten a lot more reps than he would've otherwise. I think he's done a really nice job. He's earning the confidence of his teammates in terms of commanding the huddle. Then, he's done a lot of good stuff in terms of reading with his feet. (Associate Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach) Dave Ragone does such a good job with those guys as a whole but both he and Ty have had good growth. Stetson especially, I think he's had a really good last couple of weeks, and I've been proud of him."
Simpson, meanwhile, is still learning, but he's been committed to putting in the extra time inside and outside of the building to learn the offense. The majority of the reps this spring were allocated to Stafford and Bennett, according to Simpson, and whether that approach carries over to training camp remains to be seen. Regardless, camp will still be a chance to apply what he's learned.
"I've been encouraged with all of our rookies, including Ty," McVay said on June 8. "First things first, you want to see, do they come in? Are they coachable? Are they willing to work? And you've seen that from Ty from day one. Appreciate the way that he goes about his business. He's an early morning, stay long type of guy, which you've got to be at that position. He's coming with the right mentality, and honestly, the rest of those rookies have as well, which has been cool. I think the part that's exciting for him is the more reps you get, the more that you learn, the more that you learn how to be in and out of the huddle, how to communicate things, what we're looking for on specific plays, timing up your footwork to the progressions and he's done a great job of just coming to work with that mentality every day, so I've been encouraged by the way that he's gone about his work."
