The Los Angeles Rams made by far the biggest surprise in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft two months ago when they took Alabama QB Ty Simpson 13th overall and designated him as the heir-apparent to Matthew Stafford. But the team also probably hopes that he will at least be able to run the offense if called upon. Those hopes are fading based on some recent reports.
According to Nate Atkins of The Athletic, Simpson is currently in a dead heat with fourth year QB Stetson Bennett in the battle for the QB2 spot on the depth chart. Bennett has never taken an NFL snap despite being in the league since 2023, so that doesn't exactly bode well for a QB in Simpson who is a literal first-round draft pick.
Sounding the Alarms?
NFL fans are already worried for Simpson. The idea that he is struggling to outpace a QB who has yet to throw a pass in the NFL after four years is both laughable and concerning to them:
"Well that’s…. not a great sign from Ty Simpson," one user on X remarked.
"Stetson Bennett spent 7 yrs in college. Be hilarious if he was the primary back to Stafford over Ty Simpson," wrote another.
"Wait… a high first round pick - Ty Simpson - can’t even be a primary backup quarterback??" a third mocked.
"I’m once again here to tweet that Ty Simpson STINKS."
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
"They took Simpson in the first just for him to be a clone of post-alcoholism Stetson and neither be a reliable backup to the second oldest starting QB in the league. 5-dimensional chess over in LA."
"This tells me more about Bennett than it does Simpson."
That said, it has been literally just a handful of practices so far. It's way too early to make any judgements about Simpson's entire career when he hasn't even had an NFL training camp yet.
