It's only been a few days since Stetson Bennett's dominant performance in the Rams' second preseason game of the year, but since then the Rams have already made a statement about where he stands in the competition to be their backup quarterback by continuing to give him more reps in practice than rookie quarterback Ty Simpson.
This may just be a small sign, but all training camp Bennett has been getting more reps in practice than Simpson. Since the Rams only have one preseason game remaining, this could be a sign that Bennett could be closing in on officially winning the backup quarterback job this season.
Stetson Bennett was first up with the second-team offense. Ty Simpson also took some second-team reps.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 24, 2026
Stetson Bennett was rewarded after impresive preseason performance
Ty Simpson was catching up to Bennett at the start of the Rams' preseason games. Simpson shined in their first game two weeks ago and had NFL fans and analysts proclaiming that he was the obvious choice to be the Rams' backup behind Matthew Stafford this year. These individuals were doubting Bennett, but that is typically when he does his best work.
Fast forward to the Rams' second preseason game and Stetson Bennett responded. Instead of only playing the first two series like in the first game he played the entire first half, and he did not let the Rams down as he led them to a 20-0 halftime lead. Bennett completed 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns.
His competition, Ty Simpson, played the entire second half and he only completed 8 of 12 passes for 73 yards. He also didn't have a touchdown through the air or on the ground.
Rams head coach Sean McVay sang Bennett's praises after the game, and he backed up those praises by showing Bennett is No. 2 on the depth chart during practice so far this week. The Rams have one final preseason game on Thursday but at this point it isn't clear if Bennett will play or not, but it seems like he is their current backup quarterback right now and one more preseason game may not be able to change that.
Stetson Bennett's NFL future depends on a strong finish in training camp
Whether Bennett plays in the Rams' final preseason game or not will have a big impact on his future in the NFL. His contract expires after this season and the Rams will have to decide if they want to resign him or if they will let him walk into free agency, but one more impressive performance could be what he needs to get another contract next offseason.
Bennett needs every opportunity he can get to show the Rams why they should resign him. He also needs to show every other NFL team why they should sign him next offseason if the Rams let him go. Since Bennett won't be the Rams' starter during the regular season their final preseason game could be his last chance to play in a game before he enters free agency next year. If he is sidelined though then he may not get another opportunity.
The most important thing for his future is to be the Rams' backup this season. If Matthew Stafford happened to get hurt then Bennett would be able to step in and play meaningful snaps in an NFL regular season game for the first time in his career, and if he played well then he would have a great chance at being singed next offseason.
It would be nice though if he got to play in the Rams' final preseason game on Thursday, but they haven't made a final decision on that yet.
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