Rams have this Matthew Stafford plan after drafting Ty Simpson

A Los Angeles Rams team that has reigning Most Valuable Player Matthew Stafford serving as its starting quarterback is on track to have rookie Ty Simpson and 2023 fourth-round draft pick Stetson Bennett IV compete for the primary backup job this summer. 

It sounds like Simpson and Bennett should get plenty of reps through the preseason after Stafford dealt with a worrisome back issue ahead of the start of the 2025 campaign. 

How Rams plan to keep Matthew Stafford at his best through the 2026 season

"[During] training camp [last year], we learned some stuff where you're saying, 'OK, what can we apply even though that wasn't necessarily by design that can allow [Stafford] to be at his best?'" Rams head coach Sean McVay recently explained, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN. "We haven't gotten to that, but we are going to take a similar approach to the offseason. He has a real strict regimen that he's already on, and the ownership and autonomy that he has is exactly what we wanted to be able to keep going. That's why it was important."

Last summer, Stafford was slowed by a reported aggravated disc that left him needing "epidurals to aid in dealing with the injury," and that kept him from practicing until the middle of August. Unintentionally, the Rams' handling of Stafford allowed him to produce the first MVP season of what many believe will eventually become a Hall of Fame career. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Stafford led the NFL for the 2025 regular season with 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. Among qualified players, he was first with an average of 276.9 passing yards per game, second with a 109.2 passer rating and fourth with a 71.2 adjusted QBR. 

A lot could be expected of Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett IV from the start of training camp through the end of the preseason

"Being able to add another quarterback into the mix [in Simpson] allows us to operate in a manner where you're saying, 'Hey, what's the priority? How do we keep our guy feeling as good as possible and being able to do that without allowing it to fall off too much?'" McVay added during his comments. "That was where [former backup Jimmy Garoppolo] was so valuable last year in the absence of Matthew during training camp."

Stafford may soon sign either an adjusted contract or an extension, but it remains unclear how much longer the 38-year-old wants to continue playing before he rides off into the sunset of retirement. McVay seems to hope that embracing "a very similar approach" with the handling of Stafford this summer compared to what went down last year could help ensure that the veteran picks up where he left off this past January.