The Rams Cannot Start Ty Simpson Until He Is Ready

There is one certainty after the Los Angeles Rams’ 2026 NFL Draft: Ty Simpson is the future at quarterback.

When exactly the future starts is entirely uncertain. Matthew Stafford is the face of the franchise for at least the upcoming season. Stafford could return in 2027 and even beyond.

But the Rams must hold one belief true: Simpson cannot start until he is ready.

Even if the start to the 2026 season falls below expectations or Stafford is injured on the very first play of the very first game, Simpson is the future and must be protected at all costs. We’ve seen bad and desperate franchises lose their investments in signal callers by putting them on the field prematurely. LA did the right thing by preparing for life after Stafford. They must continue stringing together correct moves.

So should disaster strike in Week 1, Stetson Bennett should be the sacrificial lamb. Anyone but Simpson.

Would the Rams lose a year of a roster ready to contend for a Super Bowl? Yes, but they likely would not make good on those goals without Stafford anyway.

The Rams do not need Simpson to save 2026. They instead need him to become the right quarterback for 2027 and thereafter. This approach requires discipline and the ability to resist temptation to use him in “break in case of emergency” scenarios. LA is planning its own future. Drafting Simpson was not a desperate move. If the plan was always to let their future quarterback sit, learn, and blossom behind the scenes, then the worst thing the franchise could do is abandon that plan at the first sign of adversity.

The only way that Simpson should enter the season as Stafford’s primary understudy is if Sean McVay and Les Snead feel he’s capable of starting in the NFL right away. We know this likely isn’t the case because Simpson started only 15 games at Alabama and LA drafted him with the idea in mind he could sit for at least a year.

While Simpson could keep the boat afloat better than Bennett should something happen to Stafford early, the Rams run the risk of diminishing the value of their 13th overall selection and jeopardizing Simpson’s development.

There are no caveats or asterisks. Ty Simpson is the future and must held back for his own good. The Rams cannot afford to put him on the field until he is ready.