Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed his quarterback plans for the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed veteran quarterback Stetson Bennett will start in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
McVay also mentioned that rookie quarterback Ty Simpson will also play.
The "when" of Simpson making his appearance remains unclear.
The contest is set for 1 p.m. PT on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Bennett’s appearance under center on Saturday is set to be his eighth in the preseason. It will be his seventh start.
In those contests, Bennett has recorded 121 completions on 195 attempts for 1,296 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. During last year’s preseason, Bennett threw for 512 yards, completed 44-of-64 passes and threw five passing touchdowns, tying the NFL lead.
Bennett has not started or played a game in the NFL during the regular season. He’s spent his entire career in Los Angeles and has been no higher than QB3 on the depth chart.
With no Jimmy Garoppolo or any other veteran quarterback in the room outside of Matthew Stafford in the building, Bennett has a great chance to be the true backup.
McVay mentioned last week that he’s loved the growth and development he’s seen from Bennett thus far in training camp. Bennett has been a standout at training camp and appears to be the clear-cut favorite to win that QB2 job; however, these next three preseason games may be the real tell.
It may take a lot for Bennett to lose his lead. So far through camp, Bennett has taken a major leadership leap and is commanding the huddle in a major way.
In the way of Bennett for the QB2 spot in Simpson. The Rams selected the 23-year-old rookie with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Los Angeles selected Simpson with the plan that he’ll be the future starting quarterback for the Rams whenever Stafford decides to retire.
Stafford has shown no signs of slowing down; in fact, he appears to only get better with the 2026 season on the horizon.
The 38-year-old is set to enter his 18th season in the league and his sixth with the Rams.
Stafford experienced success right out of the gate in his first year in Los Angeles, leading the Rams ot a Super Bowl title in February 2022. Since then, it’s been short-coming, but the Rams have built a squad this offseason that could not only take them all the way, but be dominant in the process.
