Here are a few headlines coming out of the Los Angeles Rams‘ preseason win over the New Orleans Saints led by quarterback Stetson Bennett:
Bennett seems ready to serve as Matthew Stafford’s understudy – PFT
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Bennett gets moxie back, strengthens backup case – The Athletic
They mostly get it wrong. Bennett filled up the stat sheet. Box score watchers came away impressed, which happens often in the preseason.
Watching the game portrays a much different story. Bennett did not look like an efficient thrower of the football. In the last two weeks he’s demonstrated a concerning trend of often throwing behind moving receivers. Against New Orleans specifically, the ball often sailed on Bennett and he left several big plays on the field.
In no way would a regular season offense led by Bennett be efficient. His running ability gives him a high floor—that is a positive. But starting defenses will almost certainly play tighter coverage than we are seeing in the exhibition games. Bennett isn’t making a lot of tight window throws. He’s missing the hard passes more often than not.
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This isn’t to say that rookie Ty Simpson has been convincingly better. He hasn’t. Simpson’s second appearance was a continuation of the first. The same questions from the preseason opener—primarily surrounding competence in the deep area of the field—remain as Thursday’s finale approaches.
The truth is that the Rams probably don’t have a reliable backup quarterback right now. Bennett isn’t Jimmy Garoppolo. Simpson may surpass that bar one day—he’s simply not there right now.
Could LA get by for a game or two with either Bennett or Simpson? Possibly. But if Stafford misses a month of the season and someone needs to keep the team afloat—it’s difficult to imagine either player rising to the occasion. Simpson is probably the safer bet at this point.
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And the NFC West figures to be ultra-competitive again in 2026. Dropping a game to a team you shouldn’t could reasonably be the difference between raising the division crown or traveling on the road into the playoffs.
In an offseason where the Rams added loads of talent across the roster, they may not have done enough at football’s most important position: quarterback.
