Rams QB Ty Simpson Doesn’t Need to Beat Out Stetson Bennett Right Now

If one thing has become clear this week, it’s that all eyes will be on the backup quarterback battle between rookie first-round pick Ty Simpson and fourth-year quarterback Stetson Bennett. A first-round quarterback is always going to garner more attention. However, that’s even more the case when the pick was controversial.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Nate Atkins reported that neither quarterback stood out during OTAs. “Neither Bennett nor Simpson were able to stand out ahead of the other in these moments, as both worked on crossers, slants, outs and other basic routes, and neither produced much down the field,” said Atkins. “Bennett did have a lazy out throw that Trent McDuffie picked off, and Simpson overthrew a couple different deeper throws.”

At the end of the day, it’s OTAs and neither quarterback is being asked to do much. Players still aren’t wearing pads and the goal is to keep things simple while the offense is in the early stages of being installed.

Still, that didn’t stop aggregators and those trying to push the agenda that Simpson isn’t standing out from Bennett. An argument can be made that it says more about Bennett, who has been in the offense for three years, that he isn’t significantly ahead of a rookie.

Either way you want to look at it, it’s mostly just a nothingburger, but that won’t stop the overreactions or spun narratives.

The report from Atkins wasn’t that Bennett was outperforming Simpson or even that the 13th overall pick was performing poorly. It simply stated that neither quarterback was separating themselves, which is to be expected at this time of year given what the players are asked to do.

With that said, the narrative that Simpson wasn’t providing the early return that the Rams hoped to see took on a shape of its own. The criticisms of the Rams taking Simpson over Makai Lemon once again resurfaced.

However, there are a few important things to note when it comes to Simpson and it’s a situation that doesn’t need to continue to be complicated. When it comes to Simpson, the Rams aren’t going to get any ‘early returns.’ Simpson was selected with 2028 and beyond in mind.

Right now, it doesn’t matter whether or not Simpson is outperforming Bennett because his ceiling is still so much higher. Simpson is on his own development path and the Rams are going to be patient with that. That’s not to say that the Rams need to protect Simpson or ‘baby him’ along, but it’s important that they get Simpson’s development right.

Throughout the offseason, the media is going to push a competition between Simspon and Bennett, but it’s very likely that a quarterback competition does not exist in the way many believe it does.

That’s not to say that Simpson and Bennett aren’t competing or that the coaches aren’t taking notice one way or the other. However, Simpson’s overall development matters much more than whether or not he’s listed as the QB2. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if he started the year as QB3 because that is how the Rams typically handle rookies, especially those in obvious depth roles.

Simpson’s priority right now isn’t to beat out Stetson Bennett, but to simply get better every day and continue to grasp the Sean McVay offense. Given the complexity of the McVay offense, it shouldn’t be surprising that Simpson hasn’t separated himself from Bennett who has been in it for three years. It’s going to take time.

The Rams are taking a patient approach with Simpson and there shouldn’t be any pressure on him to outperform Bennett. Simpson was drafted as a long-term investment, meaning there likely won’t be any early returns. If Simpson continues to progress, overtaking Bennett will happen naturally.

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