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LOS ANGELES — There’s no answer quite yet for the Rams on who will begin the season as the backup to quarterback Matthew Stafford, head coach Sean McVay said Monday afternoon after practice in Woodland Hills. Fourth-year quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and rookie first-rounder Ty Simpson played one half each during Saturday’s 34-0 preseason thrashing of the New Orleans Saints. McVay said regardless of who will serve as backup quarterback, Simpson will “definitely” play in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Chargers. Whether Bennett does, or what the allocation of reps between the pair of quarterbacks will look like, is still to be decided, McVay added. “I’m just truly taking things a day at a time,” McVay said, adding that he has been dealing more so with “behind the scenes” stuff since Saturday’s game, such as deciding to place outside linebacker Keir Thomas II and cornerback Zech McPhearson on the injured reserve. “Today, Stetson took nine of the 15 reps (with the second team). Ty took six of them. As far as what we’re doing with the game, you know we haven’t even gotten into that.” McVay also said he would like to get undrafted rookie quarterback Matthew Caldwell an opportunity to play on Thursday as well. Bennett made as solid a case as he could for the backup quarterback job – especially with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo no longer in the building – on Saturday with an efficient showing, including two rushing touchdowns, against the Saints. The 28-year-old former Georgia star completed 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards, with McVay adding Monday that after watching film, he was impressed with Bennett’s ability to finish plays with opposing players at his feet. “It shows great shoulder turn in his upper body,” McVay said. The highlight of Bennett’s Saturday came on a fourth-down conversion with two edge rushers converging on him. Off-balance, Bennett layered the ball over the heads of defensive backs in coverage and into the arms of wide receiver Tyler Scott, who dove to corral the ball for 16 yards and a first down. “I was like, ‘Oh my god,’” running back Jarquez Hunter told the Southern California News Group. “Stetson can do stuff like that.” Center Coleman Shelton has had a front-row seat to Bennett’s development during the Rams’ 2026 training camp, watching Bennett take snaps with the first team during Stafford’s off days. Shelton said that Bennett, who spent his first NFL season on the non-football injury list in 2023, has communicated with the offense with “conviction.” “Stetson’s doing a really good job of keeping the operation clean, getting us in and out of the huddle. … ‘Hey, we’re good, like let’s go, let’s go play ball,’” Shelton told SCNG. “And he’s showing a lot of confidence. I mean, even in the games, you can see what he’s doing. He’s doing a great job. Super happy.” INJURY ROUNDUP Wide receiver Puka Nacua (psoas) and edge rusher Myles Garrett (knee) did not practice again Monday, but Nacua did conduct some drills with a trainer on the field alongside offensive lineman Keagen Trost (hamstring) and tight end Davis Allen (quadriceps). McVay said he had no updates on Nacua, Garrett or Trost. While McVay said he hadn’t spoken to him yet to check in, offensive lineman Justin Dedich – who suffered a non-fireworks-related hand injury around July 4 – returned to individual drills with his position group Monday and was removed from the NFI list. EXTRA POINTS The Rams signed outside linebacker Devean Deal and cornerback Steven Gilmore, the latter of whom is the younger brother of former NFL cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Deal spent time this spring with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent before being waived in May. Gilmore recently played for the Birmingham Stallions in the United Football League. Daniel Rickert, an outside linebacker who suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason game, was waived.