Rookie first-round draft pick and quarterback Ty Simpson is part of the buzz after the NFL’s opening week of preseason games, but neither he nor the Los Angeles Rams is out of the woods just yet.
For Simpson, the trick will be living up to the buzz he created with his stellar NFL preseason debut. For the Rams, it is all about proving they were correct to select Simpson.
One thing is for certain: plenty of outsiders have had an opinion.
Ty Simpson Still Sparking Strong Takes After Rams Debut
GettyThe hot takes continue to fly about Ty Simpson.
Simpson shined in his debut, completing 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
The performance has sparked a slew of strong takes.
“I’m not backing off this one…,” former NFL QB Chase Daniel said in a post on X on August 17. “Ty Simpson looked like the QB who had the best command of what was being asked of him in Preseason Week 1.
“Scheme & fit aren’t everything, but they matter A LOT. The right environment will accelerate a young QB’s development.”
Daniel tripled down a bit later on Monday, posting another clip.
Daniel was also not alone in his assessment that Simpson performed well in his debut, even for an exhibition game against fellow backups on the Chiefs operating in a stripped-down defensive scheme.
Fox Sports’ Geoff Schwartz and Greg Jennings were both more critical of the showing on “First Things First.” Jennings noted the situation Simpson is in with Sean McVay calling the plays.
Schwartz said Simpson simply played up to his draft stock against lesser competition.
Both agreed with host Danny Parkins that Simpson looked like a better option than Stetson Bennett IV, the Rams’ current QB2 behind Matthew Stafford. That alone was at least some vindication for the Rams, who remain under scrutiny over the pick.
Rams Get Warning Amid First Reality Check
GettyTy Simpson cannot help the issues the Rams are currently working through.
Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms, a former NFL quarterback, warned that the Rams selecting Simpson could still “come back and bite them in the a** a little” during “Pro Football Talk Live” on August 17.
Simms argued that injuries to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams would reignite the discussion around the pick, even after Simpson’s strong debut.
Nacua is currently sidelined, while he and Adams missed game time in 2025.
Additionally, blockbuster offseason trade pickup Myles Garrett is also navigating soreness, putting the Rams’ depth to an early test. Simpson cannot help in either situation, and the Rams hope he is not needed at all this coming season.
Rams Got Proactive at Game’s Most Important Position
GettyThe Rams hope Ty Simpson can be Matthew Stafford’s successor.
The Rams drafting Simpson is counterintuitive to how they have built the rest of their roster, with most every other move geared toward building a win-now unit. And one can argue that a skill player would have helped whoever they replace Stafford with, if they did not draft Simpson.
Of course, the Rams can and have argued that they do not plan to have another such opportunity to land a player they think as highly of at the position.
They acquired the pick they used to select Simpson in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025.
The Rams held two first-round picks at one point, and they used their second (29th overall)– which was theirs–to acquire Trent McDuffie in a trade this offseason. McDuffie is a win-now player, but the Rams utilized both of the first-round picks in 2026 in unexpected ways.
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