The Los Angeles Rams have cashed in all of their chips on their immediate future. Trading for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie cost them a ton of draft capital and cap space, but with Matthew Stafford near the end of his career, the moves made sense.
However, they did spend one of their biggest assets, a first-round pick, on a quarterback for the future in Ty Simpson. So far, fans have seen him in action during the preseason, and reviews remain a mixed bag for the rookie.
Does Rams QB Ty Simpson Need to Do More?
Simpson spent the entirety of his collegiate run at Alabama, becoming their starter in his final year and tallying 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. The Rams clearly liked what they saw from him, selecting him 13th overall.
Through three preseason games, it hasn’t been hard to see why the youngster has tremendous upside. In his first taste of preseason action, Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
Last week, though, he didn’t get as much burn, completing just eight of 12 passes for 73 yards against the New Orleans Saints. Finally, against the Los Angeles Chargers, head coach Sean McVay chose to give him a longer runway.
Completing 18 of 23 passing attempts, he continued to show his efficiency, with 119 yards and a touchdown to his credit. The score was arguably his best play of the evening.
With the pocket collapsing, Simpson darted out to the left before throwing a dart in the end zone.
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Underdog NFL compiled his stats from the three preseason games, leading one fan to claim, “Better than Shedeur [Sanders],” in reference to the backup quarterback on the Cleveland Browns who is entering his second season in the league.
Better than Shedeur
— Fraud Desk (@TheFraudDesk) August 28, 2026
However, others were less impressed by the numbers, as one fan claimed Simpson was “playing against future Walmart employees,” referring to the opposition playing second and third stringers for a majority of the preseason games.
Playing against future Walmart employees
— Morrrow (@Morrrow2) August 28, 2026
Some fans, though, hadn’t reached a verdict yet. Even with the impressive performances, one fan argued, “Played strictly using QB-friendly play calls, didn’t see much to determine anything about him. Still not a fan.” Another fan followed that train of thought, claiming he’s a “system QB.”
But for some sections of the fan base, Simpson seemed like everything the Rams could have wanted once Stafford eventually decided to call it a career. “Rams got their guy,” one fan claimed, as another went so far as to say that he was better than the number one overall pick in the draft, Fernando Mendoza.
Better than that Raiders dude
— Bokalskii (@Bokalskii) August 28, 2026
It remains to be seen how Simpson performs once the actual game begins. There can be an unavoidable dissonance between the play during the preseason and the regular season. So it will be impossible to get a perfect judgment on him.
But so far, the numbers have been undeniably impressive. If he can replicate a similar type of success in the future, then life for Rams fans could be smooth even after the reigning MVP’s tenure.
