The Los Angeles Rams are built to win a Super Bowl in 2026. 

The roster around quarterback Matthew Stafford is loaded, and the expectations reflect that. But after watching the Rams’ preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, a critical question emerged that deserves serious attention: who is the real backup quarterback in Los Angeles?

The Stetson Bennett versus Ty Simpson competition has dominated Rams camp conversation, but framing it as a battle for the direct backup job misses the point. This might actually be a battle for quarterback 3, not for the role of Stafford’s immediate understudy. 

Neither Bennett nor Simpson, at this stage, should inspire confidence as the guy who steps in and keeps a Super Bowl-caliber roster afloat.

Simpson, the Rams’ first-round pick, is going to make this team. That much is certain. But even if he ends up being significantly better than Bennett during the preseason, Los Angeles doesn’t want to play Simpson in 2026. 

The ideal path for him is to sit back, learn the offense, learn from Stafford, and treat the preseason as his only game reps. Maybe 2027 or 2028 will be his opportunity. Judging by his debut with the team (21 for 25 for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns), there is reason for optimism about what the future can bring. 

Bennett, meanwhile, presents his own awkward dynamic. If he beats out Simpson for the No. 2 job, that creates a double-edged sword for the organization. 

Your first-round quarterback couldn’t beat out Stetson Bennett? That’s not a good look. But if Simpson clearly surpasses Bennett, it still doesn’t solve the core issue, because Simpson isn’t ready to lead this roster through a playoff push if Stafford goes down with an injury.

The backup quarterback quality problem

The backup quarterback quality needs to meet the expectations of the team’s season.

That’s the philosophy that should guide the Rams here, and it’s one worth applying across the league. Look at how the Tennessee Titans handled their backup situation last season. 

Brandon Allen served as the backup quarterback twice for No. 1 overall draft pick quarterbacks. He backed up Cam Ward last year in Tennessee and backed up Joe Burrow in Cincinnati during Burrow’s rookie year. 

When Burrow went down with a traumatic injury, the whole goal was for Allen to come in and not win games so the Bengals could draft Ja’Marr Chase. That was also going to be the plan for the Titans. If Ward went down, Allen would step in, and the Titans would position themselves for the best possible draft pick.

The Rams are in the opposite situation entirely. 

Los Angeles has a roster constructed to compete right now. Every other position group on this team is not tanking. Publicly, teammates might say they’ll ride with Bennett or Simpson if Stafford goes down. But privately, those players know this is their window to win something, and they need a backup quarterback who can keep them in contention.

What should the Rams do?

We’ve seen what happens when Stafford misses time. A few years ago, he went down and Los Angeles won six games. This current roster is even better than that team was. 

Stafford is approaching 40, has dealt with back ailments, and could realistically be in his final year or two. The risk is real.

The situation is compounded by the Rams’ draft capital, or lack thereof. Los Angeles traded its 2027 first-round pick for Simpson and won’t have another first-rounder until 2028. If Stafford gets hurt and the Rams bottom out, they’re not even picking in the top 10 for themselves. 

That makes finding a competent veteran backup even more urgent, potentially.

The prediction here, admittedly early on Aug. 16 and less than 30 minutes after the preseason opener ended, is that Simpson lands as quarterback 3 on the 53-man roster. Bennett could be cut and signed back to the practice squad to stay in the organization. And the Rams need to go find somebody else to serve as the true No. 2.

Who that person is remains unclear. 

There are quarterbacks around the league stuck in situations where they might be available, but the question is how much better any of them would be than Bennett or Simpson. It’s a complicated roster puzzle without an obvious solution.

What is clear is that the Rams cannot afford to enter the season with their current quarterback depth chart behind Stafford. The rest of this roster is too talented, and a competent veteran backup isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity for a team with championship ambitions.

It is hard to believe that head coach Sean McVay is comfortable with that backup quarterback option behind Stafford, at least for the immediate future.