Sean McVay Makes Surprising Decision on Rams' QB2 Battle

Kirby Lee - IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sean McVay Makes Surprising Decision on Rams' QB2 Battle

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Yagya Bhargava | Last updated Sep 4, 2026 5:11 PM ET

Matthew Stafford isn’t walking into a quarterback competition this season, not even close. He’s coming off an MVP campaign in which he led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Rams built their entire 2026 outlook around him staying healthy and running things his way.

The bigger intrigue in Los Angeles sits behind him, where Sean McVay has been figuring out what to do with two young arms he clearly believes in. Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick back in 2023, has taken the backup reps so far, with rookie Ty Simpson, this year’s No. 13 overall selection, next in line.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett IV with Matthew Stafford Mark J. Rebilas - IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Simpson made people take notice this preseason, going 47-for-60 for 382 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks. Bennett was tidier if less explosive, completing 23 of 37 for 219 yards without a turnover either way.

On paper, that reads like a straightforward QB2-QB3 hierarchy, with Bennett ahead and Simpson developing behind him. McVay has stopped short of confirming it works that simply.

The Rams coach has made it clear he isn’t treating this as a normal backup situation. Even with Bennett officially listed above Simpson on the depth chart, McVay described the pairing as “2A, 2B” rather than a strict pecking order, meaning both quarterbacks are getting real reps instead of one guy sitting behind the starter while the other mops up scout-team work, h/t Stu Jackson.

Sean McVay said that while the depth chart lists Stetson Bennett IV as QB2 and Ty Simpson as QB3, he looks at it as “2A, 2B.”

Explaining why this is different than previous years, McVay said Jimmy Garoppolo took all of the scout team reps when he was the backup, whereas this…
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 4, 2026

That’s surely a shift from how the Rams have handled things before. When Jimmy Garoppolo backed up Stafford, he took the bulk of the scout-team snaps and didn’t see much beyond that.

This time, McVay wants both young quarterbacks developing in real time, with Bennett holding an edge from three years in the system and Simpson pushing him after a preseason that justified the draft capital spent on him.

Stafford, for his part, isn’t losing sleep over any of it. The Rams open the season against the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.