Week 1 Left the Rams Thin at Two Spots That Matter

I flagged the quarterback situation in my piece from Saturday, and that problem hasn't gotten simpler. But there's a second thread worth noting: Davis Allen is listed as questionable, which puts the tight end depth chart in an uncomfortable place before the Rams have played a full game. Allen caught 24 balls for three touchdowns in 2025, modest numbers but reliable ones — he was the kind of steady presence that makes a passing offense function without demanding attention. Terrance Ferguson and Max Klare are the names behind him on the depth chart, and neither has established themselves as a Week 2 solution if Allen can't go.

The quarterback piece is what it is. Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson are the options behind Stafford, and I wrote last week that the grounding for Stafford's actual exit wasn't fully confirmed in what I had. What I can say is that the depth chart at quarterback — Bennett first, Simpson second — was always the thinnest part of this roster, by design. The Rams built around Stafford's arm and bet that 38 could hold up. One week in, that bet is already being stress-tested.

The two situations aren't identical in urgency, but they're related in kind: the Rams constructed a roster where the top option at several positions is elite and the fallback is thin. That was the trade-off McVay made. It worked for 12 wins last year. Whether it holds through a full 2026 schedule is the early question of this season.