LOS ANGELES — Ty Simpson shifts back to 2023 in his mind when he thinks about where he sits heading into the preseason.
He’s had reps in training camp, watching Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett IV take the bulk of the opportunities with the first- and second-team squads, respectively. He remembers what that feeling was like; called upon second. Starting the 2023 season as the backup quarterback for Alabama, Simpson came off the bench to lead the Crimson Tide to a 17-3 victory over South Florida – an expected victory, but nowhere close to as dominant as what was expected from Nick Saban’s teams.
In the Rams’ first-round draft pick’s recollection of events, throwing for just 73 passing yards and completing 5 of 9 attempts against USF, he wasn’t nearly as ready as he should have been. He wasn’t nearly as sharp. He wasn’t nearly as prepared as he should have been to play; the Crimson Tide scraping by in Simpson’s first real chance in college behind center.
Simpson, he said Thursday before the Rams travel to Kansas City in their first preseason game of the season at 1 p.m. on Saturday, isn’t willing for that to happen again in his debut in Rams stripes.
“I was not as ready as I probably should have been and the team suffered for it,” Simpson said. “I look back on it as something that I have learned and told myself I wouldn’t do that again.”
The 23-year-old signal caller’s place on the Rams is a rarity. They selected Simpson 13th overall, rewarding him with a four-year contract often attached to his draft position. But first-round quarterbacks are often competing for starting reps.
And yet, so far through training camp and the preseason, he’s been a comfortable third on the totem pole when it comes to live 11-on-11 reps. Many of his reps have come after practice, hustling up and down the field through drills alongside quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone and undrafted rookie quarterback Matthew Caldwell. Saturday will be Simpson’s first chance to make an impression on fans – some of whom were left bewildered by his selection, considering the ever-rock-solid standing of Stafford, the reigning MVP. It’s also a chance to make a case for why he should begin the season as backup quarterback.
Simpson shared that he spoke to his parents on Wednesday night with excitement over making his preseason NFL debut, aligning with his younger brother starting his high school football career – eight years on opposite sides of a journey.
“It’ll be a surreal moment for sure,” Simpson said. “Not only that I’m playing in the NFL, but to be playing for a great organization like the Rams that has the pedigree that it has, not only with quarterbacks, but the championships and Hall of Famers in general.”
While Simpson is going to play Saturday, Bennett is going to start at quarterback with offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase calling plays, Rams coach Sean McVay said. McVay often rests most starting players and backups during the preseason, keeping his expected high-usage players fresh for the regular season and the Sept. 11 season opener in Melbourne, Australia, against the San Francisco 49ers.
The short stint of waiting that Simpson is enduring early in his rookie season has been Bennett’s professional career. Bennett, 28, has started six of the seven preseason games that he’s been active for. Playing on a Sunday, however, has been an elusive task for the former two-time NCAA champion at Georgia across the last two seasons.
“It’s definitely tough,” said Bennett, who considered Tuesday’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys a learning experience after a drop-off in execution late in the scrimmage of sorts. “We get into this because A, we love football, and B, we love to compete. It definitely was tough just watching out there and not really doing anything in practice and not really doing anything on Sundays.”
Much like how Simpson is following Ragone pre- and post-practice in his early goings as a Rams quarterback, that’s been Bennett’s reality.
Backing up both Jimmy Garropolo and Stafford taught Bennett patience, he said, adding that he stacked days and “trust that one day it will be better.” Without Ragone, Bennett said, the years would have been “tough” to get through.
“I just want to go out there and be the best that I can be,” Bennett said. “If I’m not that, then that irks me to no end and it gets after me. Then if I am going out there and playing good ball, then that’s enough for me.”
Bennett and Simpson both share an admiration for Stafford. Bennett has learned a steadiness from the 38-year-old sage of the offense, he said.
Simpson, however, is still figuring out when it’s best to ask for advice.
“I probably bother Matthew a lot in the type of ways where he probably thinks I’m annoying,” Simpson said. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Maybe this can wait until tomorrow.’”
Simpson expressed a clear gratefulness for Stafford and his wisdom. On Thursday morning, Stafford asked Simpson how he was feeling about the preseason opener, the rookie said.
Simpson responded that he was excited. It’s a great opportunity to play, he said. Stafford then shared a wave of encouragement for Simpson ahead of game No. 1
“Just go let it rip,” Stafford told Simpson. “It’s nothing that you haven’t done before. Just go out there and play with the rules, see the play clock, understand what your problems are, and go let it rip.”