The usual case for drafting a quarterback in the first round is that the player is meant to be a starter rather quickly, but that may not be the case for Los Angeles Rams rookie Ty Simpson. 

Simpson was drafted No. 13 overall and is expected to be the successor to Matthew Stafford. However, Stafford is not set to retire anytime soon, but that does not mean the Rams will not give the young passer a chance to grow. 

In fact, Simpson will benefit from multiple factors in 2026 that will allow him ample time to grow.

The first instance of the Los Angeles offense already getting into gear is that the team went almost immediately into 11-on-11 over the weekend at the start of training camp.

Rams' new offensive coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase spoke about the 11-on-11 formation during media availability. 

"Yeah, you know what it is awesome. I think what I appreciate about Sean, like the 11-on-11 reps, you get a lot of volume throughout the course of camp," Scheelhaase said.

Getting the team up to speed is very important, especially with a team like the Rams, who generally is well-disciplined and comes out swinging when the regular season gets underway.

Scheelhaase also spoke about his impressions of Simpson thus far. Despite training camp just getting underway, the offensive coordinator said he is "encouraged" by the rookie quarterback.

"I'm encouraged. You know what? I appreciate the way that he works as much as anything. And I think anytime you've got that mindset, uh, you're going to continue to grow each time that you're out there. You're going to grow from the good reps, you're going to grow from the bad reps. And so, uh, when you got that mindset, that workman's mentality, uh, you're going to just see growth happen day in and day out," Scheelhaase said.

Simpson will be up against Rams veteran passer Stetson Bennett IV for the backup quarterback position. While the pair would seemingly not get enough time with the ones with Stafford in the building, his modified practice allotment will lead to just that.

Rams head coach Sean McVay also spoke to the media on Saturday, revealing that Stafford will have two days off to ensure he is healthy and ready for the long 2026 season

McVay indicated that due to the back issues and just being a longtime veteran, Stafford will be on a modified practice schedule. 

"...What we'll do with him we operate in those four-day blocks as you know he'll take part in days two and day four so he'll be off on days one and three he'll be doing his own independent stuff where he's taking care of his body and so Um those are two out of the three days that we actually practice. That third day represents more of an above-the-neck approach. And so tomorrow when we practice, he is feeling good. He will not practice tomorrow," McVay said. 

Stafford taking some practice time off will give both Bennett and Simpson the chance to practice more. This new way of handling the reigning MVP's workload makes sense, and allows both quarterbacks the chance to get even more valuable reps in.

"Yeah, it's really important. We talked about that yesterday, Vinnie, as a coaching staff. And you know, I mentioned um you know, it was really early for a lot of the rookies, Ty especially. Steson did a nice job," McVay said.

Should something happen to Stafford, this new worload management could lead to a far more beneficial backup quarterback situation. Whether or not Bennett or Simpson get the position, they will seemingly be taking more snaps with the starters.

The backup quarterback battle will be one of the most important for the Rams during training camp. With Simpson expected to take over once Stafford retires, it would be believed that he should emerge as that player, and he will be given every chance to do just that.