Sean McVay shares expectations for Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson in preseason

Matthew Stafford will once again get the preseason off, opening the door for Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson to get in some valuable work against other teams. Sean McVay already said Bennett will start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday and Simpson will enter in a relief role, giving both quarterbacks meaningful reps at Arrowhead Stadium. These exhibition games won’t make or break the seasons for either quarterback, but they will help give the coaching staff some film to evaluate as the Ramswork through roster decisions. And given the vanilla offenses and defenses deployed throughout the preseason, it’s not as if Bennett and Simpson will be operating in a traditional regular-season setting. After practice on Thursday, McVay shared what he wants to see from his two young quarterbacks in the preseason. “I think just good command by both those guys, consistently making good decisions, playing within the timing and rhythm of whatever that play is that Nate (Scheelhaase) decides to call,” McVay said. “I want to see us get in and out of the huddle, good communication. There'll be a lot of different guys that'll be rotating in. I want Stetson to be able to do what he's done and I want Ty to be able to do what he's done as well. It'll be fun to watch both those guys play.” There will be one major difference between practice and preseason games for Bennett and Simpson: tackling. Unlike in practice, where quarterbacks wear red jerseys and can’t be touched, they can be sacked and hit during preseason games. Obviously, they’ll try to avoid contact as best they can, but plays won’t be blown dead when a defender gets close to them. They’ll have to navigate the pocket and avoid pressure, something they’re both capable of with their athleticism. “I think both he and Stetson, can get tackled now so there is a difference in that,” McVay said. “If the pocket breaks down, sometimes it might be, 'Hey, the pocket's collapsing, where's my quick element throw?' Sometimes it might be, 'Hey, the pocket's collapsing but there's an escape lane and I can make some plays or second reaction types of plays.' Both of those guys, those were parts of their game that we did like coming out of college, whether that be Georgia for Stetson or Alabama with Ty.” Given their mobility, McVay expects the Rams to move the pocket and allow both quarterbacks to roll out and make throws on the run, too. “I think those are some of the different things and I would imagine we'll move the launch point a little bit as well,” he said. “I think seeing some of that stuff come to life will be important, but I think it's got to occur naturally. You're not predetermined in those types of things and that's where you're just in the moment and you're reacting and playing within your rules, and then just go be instinctual as well.” Bennet has a lot of preseason experience, having played in these exhibition games for the last three years. Simpson, meanwhile, has only started 15 games since graduating high school. Saturday’s game will be an important one for both players, as will the rest of the preseason. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay shares expectations for Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson in preseason