Has first round draft pick Ty Simpson lost the battle to back up Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford?
Simpson is currently fighting Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick who’s entering his fourth season, for the No. 2 spot behind the reigning MVP.
On Thursday, Rams coach Sean McVay revealed that Bennett, not Simpson, will start Saturday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, reports Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
Simpson will still get a chance to play, but it will come at some point after Bennett takes on the Chiefs.
So what’s the hold up for the highly drafted rookie? It seems that the Rams are in no rush to throw him into the fire of NFL play.
Simpson, who was a surprise pick in the first round, is the heir apparent to Stafford.
While the Alabama product showed off the physical and mental skills he has in college, pro ball is another level of competition, and the Rams seem happy to let Simpson develop while Stafford is still behind center.
Simpson has also admitted that the complexities of coach Sean McVay’s offense are a hurdle, though he feels he’s up to the challenge.
“Feel like I’m a freshman again — drinking from a fire hydrant,” he said. “The quarterback runs the show here, just how I like it.”
He’s even using some unorthodox ways of learning the Rams’ playbook, he told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
Simpson told Klein he’s recorded himself reciting Rams play calls, and it’s the sound that greets him in the morning and puts him to sleep at night.
“I want to make sure it’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed,” he said, “and the first thing that I wake up to.”
Bennett, with three previous seasons with the Rams, already has that side of the job down. So while Simpson gets up to speed, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bennett holds the No. 2 spot.
That said, based on the Rams’ drafts, Simpson’s ceiling is much higher, so it’s likely not a question of if, but when, he’ll overtake Bennett in the pecking order.
In the meantime, he’s watching and learning from the older signal callers on the team.
“So when I get in the game and hear a play call, I can just imagine it and see it,” Simpson said. “That’s a big thing, just knowing the terminology and being detail-oriented just like Matthew and Stetson.”