McVay says Stetson Bennett might not play in Rams' preseason, boosting his backup QB candidacy

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay says quarterback Stetson Bennett might not play during the Los Angeles Rams ' preseason schedule, which could indicate Bennett has the inside track on the team's backup quarterback job.

Rookie first-round pick Ty Simpson “definitely” will play for the Rams in the preseason, which begins next weekend at Kansas City, McVay said Saturday.

McVay historically strives to keep all of his most important players off the field through the entire preseason, and that usually includes his No. 2 quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo didn't play in either of the past two preseasons during his tenure as Matthew Stafford's backup.

Bennett has yet to take a snap in a regular-season game since the Rams drafted him in the fourth round in 2023, but the former University of Georgia star came into this training camp alongside Simpson as the only candidates to back up the 38-year-old NFL MVP.

After the Rams surprisingly used the 13th overall pick on Simpson last April, they didn’t re-sign Garoppolo, who is currently not on an NFL roster.

McVay said earlier this week that he has seen significant growth from the 28-year-old Bennett.

“He’s just taking advantage of his reps,” McVay said. “He’s aggressive. He’s a playmaker. He’s going to be aggressive, but not reckless. He can make some things happen off-schedule. The way that we’re able to get in and out of the huddle in terms of his overall command has been significantly improved.”

Bennett, a two-time national champion during his storied college career with the Bulldogs, received significantly more practice snaps than Simpson during the Rams’ two weeks of training camp at Loyola Marymount University. The team returned to its training complex in Woodland Hills on Saturday.

According to running back Blake Corum, Bennett is “taking a leap and being a field general, taking total command of the offense. You can hear it in the huddle when he’s calling the plays. He’s saying it with authority. He’s (excelled) in this camp, and he’s only going to continue to get better. It’s a great thing to see.”

While Bennett has yet to play in an NFL game that counts, he has played extensively in the preseason for Los Angeles. Bennett missed his entire rookie season in 2023 while dealing with mental health issues, but has been the Rams’ third-string QB for the past two seasons.

Rookie quarterback Matthew Caldwell is also in camp with the Rams after concluding his college career with one season as Arch Manning's backup at Texas last fall.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson, left, talks with quarterback Stetson Bennett during the NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett, left, hands off to running back Blake Corum during the NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks, from left, Ty Simpson, Stetson Bennett, Matthew Stafford and Matthew Caldwell get set to pass during the NFL football team's training camp, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey is not aimed against Iran or any other country, Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday, describing the pact as an important step toward regional stability.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on Friday. It states that an attack on one would be considered an attack on all three.

The “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It deepens cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.

In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted that the three countries do not view any particular state as an adversary unless they take hostile action against them.

“We don’t have anything written down — nothing we’ve signed — that defines a common threat,” Fidan said. “Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.”

The Turkish minister described the agreement's clause on mutual defense as being “technically the same” as NATO's Article 5, under which an attack on one of the 32 members is considered an attack on them all.

Asked how the mechanism would work, Fidan said a member would need to formally request help and that the other two countries’ assistance could range from intelligence sharing to logistic support — or the deployment of military units depending on the threat.

“These are multi‑layered matters that vary according to the scale of the threat,” Fidan said. “This is the perspective we have set out so far in our work.”

The Turkish minister said other nations — which he did not name — have expressed interest in joining the agreement, adding that he expects Egypt, which he described as a “natural partner,” to participate “at the next stage.”

Under the deal, the foreign and defense ministers of the three countries, along with their military chiefs, would hold regular committee meetings. The three countries would also establish a secretariat, to be based in Saudi Arabia, Fidan said.

From left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)