{"id":1029210,"date":"2026-08-28T09:30:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1029210\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:30:26","slug":"rams-sean-mcvay-still-mulling-over-matthew-staffords-backup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1029210\/","title":{"rendered":"Rams’ Sean McVay still mulling over Matthew Stafford’s backup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Don\u2019t read too much into it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Rams coach Sean McVay<\/a> said after rookie quarterback Ty Simpson<\/a> played and Stetson Bennett<\/a> did not in the Rams\u2019 20-18 victory<\/a> over the Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n

McVay does not play starters or players expected to be significant backups or contributors during the preseason, especially in the final game.<\/p>\n

Based on that, Bennett appears on track to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Matthew Stafford<\/a> when the Rams play the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n

Or does it?<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t look too far into what that was,\u201d McVay said of playing Simpson. \u201cIt was just continuing to get him experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got three quarterbacks on our roster. Obviously, we\u2019ve got the reigning MVP of the league and we\u2019ve got two guys that we feel really good about. And if you say, \u2018Hey, what does that really mean?\u2019 That\u2019s what it means, that we feel really good about those two guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot pigeonholing myself into any sort of decision other than I feel really good about Stetson Bennett, feel really good about Ty Simpson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson, the 13th pick in the draft, completed 18 of 23 passes for 119 yards, including a second-quarter touchdown.<\/p>\n

He faced Chargers starters during his first series, which ended with a punt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was excited because it was my first time to where I was going against real guys in a real game,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cAnd it felt like I expected it to feel. Fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Simpson\u2019s second no-turnover performance. In the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, Simpson played all but the first two series and completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, his most impressive play came early in the second quarter on third-and-seven from the Chargers\u2019 11-yard line. Simpson escaped pressure and rolled out to his left before firing a pass to diving receiver Brennan Presley for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams quarterback Ty Simpson slides in front of Chargers linebacker Nadame Tucker during the first half Thursday.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Matthew Caldwell, an undrafted free agent from Texas, started the second half and played into the fourth quarter before suffering a knee injury. He completed five of 10 passes for 31 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to running back Dean Connors.<\/p>\n

Bennett, a fourth-year pro, took the vast majority of second-team snaps during training camp and preseason practices, and took first-team reps on days Stafford was held out. Bennett played the first half against the New Orleans Saints<\/a> and rushed for two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got some tough decisions over the next couple days,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n

Other noteworthy items following the Rams\u2019 victory:<\/p>\n

Atwell isn\u2019t a fill-in for Nacua \"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell celebrates after a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 28, 2025.<\/p>\n

(Marcio Jose Sanchez \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Running back Jarquez Hunter did not play \u2014 and was not in the building \u2014 but not because he was assured a roster spot with the Rams.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Rams traded Hunter<\/a>, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, to the Miami Dolphins for receiver Tutu Atwell<\/a>, who played five seasons for the Rams before signing with the Dolphins last March.<\/p>\n

Atwell joins a receiver corps that includes Puka Nacua<\/a>, Davante Adams<\/a>, Jordan Whittington<\/a>, Konata Mumpfield<\/a>, Xavier Smith<\/a> and rookie CJ Daniels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nacua is the defendant in a civil lawsuit that alleges he made an antisemitic statement and bit a woman while riding in a vehicle. If the NFL determines that Nacua violated the league\u2019s personal-conduct policy, he could be suspended.<\/p>\n

Did the Rams acquire Atwell as a preemptive move in case Nacua is suspended?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d McVay said. \u201cIt had nothing to do with that. It was exclusively a guy we were really familiar with that you could really get at what we felt like was good for us and good for Jarquez.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTutu\u2019s an alumni,\u201d Rams general manager Les Snead said during an in-game television interview. \u201cHe should come back. He\u2019s someone who knows Sean\u2019s offense. He can come in and play all three [receiver] positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connors, who played at Murrieta Valley High and Riverside City College before finishing his college career at Rice and Houston, rushed for 69 yards in 18 carries. Jordan Waters rushed for 53 yards in 15 carries.<\/p>\n

Still waiting on Aaron Donald \"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald leaves the field after a game against the Arizona Cardinals in November 2023.<\/p>\n

(Rick Scuteri \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

McVay reiterated that the Rams will continue to move forward until Donald decides<\/a> whether he will end a two-year retirement and re-join the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really one of those deals that, what we\u2019re doing is we\u2019re focusing on this football team,\u201d McVay said. \u201cAaron knows that, \u2018Hey, if he wants to be able to do that, that\u2019s something that we absolutely want to entertain and be able to figure out, and that\u2019s really kind of all there is to it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a television interview during the game, Rams general manager Les Snead said Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, was still going through his process.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, the timeline\u2019s getting a little closer to make a decision, but the timeline\u2019s the timeline,\u201d Snead said. \u201cTime will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Donald returns, he will join a front that includes two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett, acquired by the Rams in a blockbuster trade. Snead said in the interview that dealing for Garrett was not part of the Rams\u2019 plan heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever was Myles Garrett penciled into that intent,\u201d Snead said, \u201cand I\u2019ll be honest with you: Never was Aaron Donald penciled into that intent. Sometimes luck goes your way, and we\u2019re jacked to have Myles and we\u2019re waiting on to see what happens with Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensive standouts \"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams safety Nick Andersen, center, celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumble by Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the first half Thursday.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson III had two sacks, including one that resulted in a fumble in the final minute to preserve the victory.<\/p>\n

Safety Nick Andersen recovered a fumble by Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.<\/p>\n

Cornerback Cam Lampkin also had a sack.<\/p>\n

Edge rusher Wesley Bailey, who made a big impression in the first two preseason games, started against the Chargers but played only two snaps and had one quarterback pressure.<\/p>\n

Mevis finishes perfect preseason<\/p>\n

Mevis kicked two 27-yard field goals, making him six for six in three games.<\/p>\n

Mevis kicked two field goals against the Chiefs and two against the Saints.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t read too much into it. That\u2019s what Rams coach Sean McVay said after rookie quarterback Ty Simpson…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1029211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[35931,1582,276,7151,411596,2961,224,5337,17946,36016,74778,90726,7138,411595,72010,127692,3046,20980,3355,80883],"class_list":["post-1029210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-bennett","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-chargers","tag-impressive-play","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-pass","tag-preseason","tag-preseason-opener","tag-ram","tag-rams","tag-second-quarter-touchdown","tag-sept","tag-simpson","tag-thursday-night","tag-ty-simpson","tag-victory","tag-yard"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117172441204089935","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1029210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1029211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1029210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1029210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1029210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}