When the Los Angeles Rams general manager, Les Snead, drafted Ty Simpson, he always knew his plan. The Alabama alum would sit and learn behind their unquestioned starter, Matthew Stafford. However, he also knew that he wanted Simpson to be the backup as soon as possible and LA’s future, not a third-string formality. But word around the league suggests that Simpson may be the future for the Rams, but Stetson Bennett remains the more experienced option.

“Ty Simpson couldn’t beat out Jalen Milroe at Alabama, and Milroe is 3rd string with the Seahawks behind journeyman Drew Lock. Stetson Bennett was a 4th-round pick. I’d say it’s time to start panicking,” former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly reported via First Round Mock.

With LA’s backup from 2025, Jimmy Garoppolo, contemplating retirement, Bennett gets the edge. He has been with the team for four years now and understands what head coach Sean McVay wants. And because Stafford is not putting in minutes during the offseason practices, he is also getting more essential reps. That’s why Jason La Canfora already pressed that Bennett does hold an edge. But when we bring Simpson’s performance from the NCAA, it only gets magnified.

Bennett hasn’t taken a regular-season snap in the NFL yet, but his college tape does plenty of talking for him. He started two full seasons at Georgia, won back-to-back national titles, and walked away with 8,429 passing yards and 66 touchdowns over 42 games. Simpson has one season as a starter to his name, throwing for 3,948 yards and 28 touchdowns across 31 games at Alabama. For now, though, McVay has been impressed with his veteran signal caller.

“I’ve seen tremendous growth,” said head coach Sean McVay of Bennett earlier this month. “I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s earning the confidence of his teammates in terms of commanding the huddle. Then, he’s done a lot of good stuff in terms of reading with his feet. I think he’s had a really good last couple of weeks, and I’ve been proud of him.”

On the other hand, Simpson will probably not see any action unless it’s a blowout game when they keep Stafford out. Meanwhile, Simpson has entered LA knowing that he probably will not be a favorite for the QB2 position and is more eager to learn the ropes of the league than anything. And that is being noticed.

“First things first. You want to see: Do they come in? Are they coachable? Are they willing to work?” new offensive coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase said. “And you’ve seen that from Ty from day one. Appreciate the way that he goes about his business. He’s an early-morning, stay-long type of guy, which you’ve got to be at that position. He’s coming with the right mentality.”

With no numbers available, though, evaluations from the OTAs should be taken with a grain of salt, as The Athletic’s Nate Atkins reported that neither quarterback stood out during OTAs on Wednesday.

“Neither Bennett nor Simpson was able to stand out ahead of the other in these moments, as both worked on crossers, slants, outs, and other basic routes, and neither produced much down the field,” said Atkins. “Bennett did have a lazy out throw that Trent McDuffie picked off, and Simpson overthrew a couple of different deeper throws.”

Still, Sean McVay walked away from OTAs sounding pretty pleased with Bennett. The head coach praised his “tremendous growth” and pointed out that he’s been earning the confidence of his teammates and commanding the huddle. That strengthens his case to be QB2. It’s not just McVay talking him up either.

According to NFL Trade Rumors’ Logan Ulrich, citing Jason La Canfora, sources close to McVay around the league say the coach is confident he could win games with Bennett under center if he had to.

Bennett’s body of work is simply bigger and more battle-tested, even if Simpson still owns the higher ceiling long term. Bottom line, the numbers and the praise both point in the same direction for now.