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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed the offseason progress for fourth-year quarterback Stetson Bennett.

The Los Angeles Rams made one of the most surprising selections of the 2026 NFL Draft with quarterback Ty Simpson. With Jimmy Garoppolo potentially retiring, the sentiment around the Rams is Simpson will not only be Sean McVay’s future starting quarterback but Matthew Stafford’s backup this fall.

But veteran Stetson Bennett will have something to say about that.

With Stafford not practicing during offseason workouts, Bennett received a lot of opportunities. This week, McVay shared how much the 28-year-old quarterback improved.

“I’ve seen tremendous growth,” McVay told Therams.com’s Stu Jackson. “Obviously, with Matthew not being out here based on the plan and the schedule that we’ve kind of thought was going to be best for him for now and for the long term, Stetson’s gotten a lot more reps than he would’ve otherwise.

“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.

“[Associate Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach] Dave Ragone does such a good job with those guys as a whole but both he and Ty [Simpson] have had good growth. Stetson especially, I think he’s had a really good last couple of weeks, and I’ve been proud of him.”

The Rams picked Bennett at No. 128 overall in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.

Sean McVay Reacts to Stetson Bennett’s Development

Bennett has yet to receive an NFL opportunity because the Rams have experienced relatively great health behind center over the last three seasons.

In 2025, Stafford was the only Rams quarterback to throw a pass. During 2024, only Stafford and Garoppolo had attempts during the regular season.

However, an opportunity could be coming this season. Garoppolo is gone, and even though he doesn’t have any NFL experience, Bennett could have an advantage over Simpson because of his three previous years in McVay’s offense.

What Bennett Could Bring Rams as Backup

At the end of the day, Simpson and Bennett both have zero regular season experience. Furthermore, Simpson was a first-rounder while Bennett was a Day 3 selection.

For a lot of pundits, that makes Simpson the no-brainer choice as Stafford’s backup.

But it’s dangerous to count out Bennett. At Georgia, he started as a walk-on but eventually became a two-time national champion starting quarterback.

In his final college season during 2022, Bennett was a Heisman finalist as well. He completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,128 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Bennett averaged 9.1 yards per attempt. That was after he registered 10 yards per attempt in 2021.

Under McVay, the Rams haven’t utilized a lot of rookies. Part of why Bennett hasn’t played is the Rams allowed him to sit and wait behind veteran options.

If McVay chooses to do that with Simpson, then Bennett is now the veteran option to use if Stafford is out. Based on McVay’s comments, Bennett is earning the opportunity to be the team’s QB2.