Why the Rams may still need a veteran quarterback after Ty Simpson's impressive debut
Ty Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes with two touchdowns against Kansas City, but the Rams' Super Bowl expectations create a much different question about who should back up Matthew Stafford.
Video Transcript
Let's dive into my quarterback theory, my quarterback topic.
So I'm just gonna present this as a statement, and Ryan, you can take this or you can just shove it somewhere else.
I think that Stetson Bennett versus Ty Simpson is a battle for quarterback three, the real quarterback three, not, not Matthew Stafford's actual backup because, and I'll just go a little deeper in this.
The Rams are going for it.
We all know this, right?
They're going for the Super Bowl, and if something does happen to Matthew Stafford, which is possible, right?
We know this.
We've talked about injuries just now with tackles.
If something happens to Stafford, I don't think you're gonna go with Stetson Bennett or Ty Simpson, who doesn't have any experience minus the handful of games for Alabama, to lead this team, the rest of the roster, that expects to be a Super Bowl favorite.
So who's quarterback two?
Because I don't think it's either of those guys.
I think they're battling for quarterback three, not the direct backup to Matthew Stafford.
So what do you think about my, my theory here?
I mean, it's interesting because obviously last year you had Stetson Bennett as your quarterback three, but you had Jimmy Garoppolo, who was like the veteran presence in the room.
The, it, it is, it is unsettling to think about because, I mean, I know, I know that Matt Stafford last year had his, in the preseason, had his back scare before his, he had his w- his, an epidural, right?
Or something like that.
It was the weirdest situation of all time last year before the season.
But anytime you're talking about a, a, a quarterback that is on the cusp of 40, right?
Like, he's getting- Yeah older and he might be entering his final year of his career.
Like, we'll see.
I mean, at most he probably has two years left.
Right.
But anytime we're talking about this type of quarterback who is older, who's played so much football, who's had some back ailments, like, a- anything could happen obviously.
So having a veteran presence like a Jimmy Garoppolo last year was reassuring, right?
Like, having a guy that you know could at least come in and keep you afloat.
You know, you, you cover the Tennessee Titans, and I'm sure it feels a lot better this year having Mitch Trubisky compared to having Brandon Allen this, a year ago, right?
Like, you know that you have a little bit more stability at the position.
So I do think that there's an interesting conversation that needs to happen because look, Ty Simpson's gonna make this team obviously.
He's a first-round draft pick.
Yeah, no, 100%.
I, I, f- I feel like it's almost, like, man, I, like, here's the, here's the thing.
If, if Stetson Bennett beats out Ty Simpson for the quote, unquote, "backup quarterback spot," I guess you technically have to keep all three if you want to, or you, you need to.
But it is a really bad situation to be in because that means that your first-round quarterback couldn't beat out Stetson Bennett.
Like, it is a- Yeah, yeah.
Double-edged sword.
Like, it's not good, man.
Yeah.
But on the other side, it's like, even if Ty Simpson ends up being way better than Stetson Bennett, which I would hope will happen during this off-season.
Sure, yeah.
Like, I hope that he'll be a lot better.
You still don't wanna play Ty Simpson in 2026.
Like, you want him to just sit back, learn the offense, learn from Matt Sta- Matthew Stafford.
Like, do not play.
Like, learn.
Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn.
Preseason is your time to play, and then maybe 2027 or 2028 is your opportunity next, right?
So- Yeah, yeah I do think, I do think that it's a interesting conversation point that if neither of these guys takes a hold of the second quarterback spot, you know that Ty Simpson's gonna make the team.
But what do you do with Stetson Bennett at that point, and are you settled enough with him as the quote, unquote, "veteran presence in the room," or is there someone out there that you're like, "All right.
We need to make a move and just reassure that we're not gonna be Super Bowl or a Matthew Stafford away, away from going 6 and 11," you know?
Yeah.
So I, I think it's interesting.
And I think, man, what would this team's record be if they didn't have Matthew Stafford?
I mean, like if you traded out- We saw this.
We saw it a few years ago when they won like six games when he got injured, so we've seen it.
We've absolutely seen it.
Yeah, but this team's even better.
Like, this team's gotten even stronger- Sure and, like, I don't know if Aaron Donald's gonna be back or not.
You know, who knows when that's gonna happen?
But, like, they're even better than they were around the quarterback, and so, like, I'm sitting here going, my philosophy, and I think I've learned this about myself over the last, you know, 15 months or so.
I think my philosophy about backup quarterback is the backup quarterback quality needs to meet the expectations of the team's season.
How about that?
Just chew on that for a second because as I'm, as, you brought up the whole Tennessee Titans Cam Ward thing and Brandon Allen, Brandon Allen was the backup quarterback twice for number one overall draft pick quarterbacks.
He backed up Cam Ward last year.
He backed up Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, in his rookie year.
Now, Joe Burrow goes down with a traumatic injury, and the whole goal was for Brandon Allen to come in and not win games so they could draft Jamar Chase, right?
And that was gonna be the plan for the Titans.
If Cam Ward goes down, Brandon Allen goes in there, and they find the biggest, baddest thing.
Now, Cam Ward didn't go down.
The Titans still picked Cardinal Tate fourth, so it's not like they needed extra help.
But with, with this, with the Rams, like, your goal, you gotta go get the best backup quarterback you possibly can, right?
I agree.
Because everybody else on that roster is not down.
You can ask them.
They might be a great teammate and say, "No, I'll ride with Stetson Bennett," or, "I'll ride with Ty Simpson."
They'll say that publicly, but if Stafford goes down and they have to turn the ball to one of those two guys, they're sitting there going like, "No, this is my chance to win something," and you gotta have a better q- backup quarterback in there than, than what they currently have.
So I think if I'm giving a prediction here, which is way too early on August 15th in, you know, less than 30 minutes after the first preseason game ended, I think Ty Simpson's quarterback three on the roster.
I think Stetson Bennett might be cut and signed back to the practice squad to stay in the organization.
They gotta get, they gotta go find somebody, and I don't know who that's gonna be, which might leave people frustrated to not know that I, I don't have, like, a, a solution.
But there are some quarterbacks out there that are in some situations where they're stuck, and how much better are they gonna be than Bennett or Simpson?
It, it's a, it is a fascinating conversation.
Like, when you initially texted it to me, I was just, like, thinking for a second.
I'm like, "What do you mean quarterback- or quarterback three?"
Like, I was like, I literally texted back.
I'm like, "What, what do you..." Like, I, I, I forget exactly- The line phrase there, yeah.
What I phrased it.
Yeah, but it, it's, it, it is interesting because, I mean, 'cause also you're not trying to suck if Matthew Stafford got hurt because one, you, like you said, it's a great roster.
Yep.
But two, you also don't have a first-round pick next year, so, like, you're not sucking to get, like, a top 10 pick- Yeah if you bottom out, you know?
Like, you're not doing that.
When's the next Rams first-round pick?
I don't know, man.
Jared Verse was the first one in like five or six years, and then I don't know when we'll see another one.
Like, I have no idea when that will happen again, so, and they literally- I, I- traded them away two, two years.
You know what I mean?
So it is what it is.
No, they still have 2028.
They still have 2028's first.
They have 20- okay.
They, they got 28's first according to my- Un- until, un- Footcast Google until, until General Matt- For now Kelsey says F them picks again and we, and we, we move forward there.
But I, I do think that it is- But yeah, I mean, and- Yeah I was gonna make another joke.
If Matt Stafford gets hurt, there goes 28's first-round pick for somebody else- Right coming in with a Super Bowl.
Uh- Exactly but hey, worth it, right?
That would be worth it
