# Blaine Grisak: Previewing the Rams' initial preseason depth chart, Grisak expects Stetson Bennett to be listed as the backup quarterback ahead of rookie Ty Simpson, rookie CJ Daniels to be listed behind three other receivers, Emmanuel Forbes to be the CB3, and Xavier Smith to be listed as the punt returner.

**Claimed:** Aug 12, 2026
**Pundit:** Blaine Grisak — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/blaine-grisak
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi/rams-initial-depth-chart-5-things-to-watch

5 checkable claims — 5 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.

> When the Rams release their initial depth chart, it seems almost inevitable that Stetson Bennett will end up ahead of Ty Simpson.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Xavier Smith to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Xavier Smith, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Ty Simpson to be 3rd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Ty Simpson, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Emmanuel Forbes to be 3rd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Emmanuel Forbes, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **C.J. Daniels to be a starter**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: C.J. Daniels, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Stetson Bennett to be 2nd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Stetson Bennett, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Xavier Smith — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/xavier-smith
- Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/rams
- Ty Simpson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/ty-simpson
- Emmanuel Forbes — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/emmanuel-forbes
- C.J. Daniels — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/c-j-daniels
- Stetson Bennett — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/stetson-bennett

## What others said about the same people

- Nick Shook on Aaron Donald: Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ea18c6ec-7662-4e66-91ed-4d0ef9d7d97d (scored 100)
- Jared Dubin on Los Angeles Rams: Dubin picks the Rams, Texans, Ravens, Bengals, Packers, Cowboys and Broncos in Week 1 with exact scores, and says the Rams are his pick to win the Super Bowl this season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5017ce6e-d3fa-471a-bcf6-b9834182fded (scored 26.19)
- Jordan Dajani on Los Angeles Rams: Dajani picks the Rams over the 49ers, Texans over Bills, Ravens over Colts, Bengals over Buccaneers, Vikings over Packers, Cowboys over Giants and Broncos over Chiefs in Week 1, with exact scores. He also predicts the Bills win the AFC East, the Cowboys win their division, and Caleb Downs wins Defensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6565d23-03db-4e60-a574-21a0b86dafb0 (scored 11.9)
- Jared Dubin on Los Angeles Rams: The unsigned CBS Sports preview picks the Rams to beat the 49ers 31-21 in the Week 1 game in Melbourne, and also names the Rams as its Super Bowl winner for the season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/71ca9946-84c7-4234-bc1e-37db563e9ccd (scored 26.19)
- Mike Florio on Los Angeles Rams: Florio gives score predictions for every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season, including an opening-night upset by the Patriots in Seattle and narrow home wins for the Giants and Chiefs. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4b20f46e-ebc0-462f-9e7a-2ab82f91a2ea (scored 28.57)
- Gilberto Manzano on Los Angeles Rams: Manzano's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6e2bb80-47ba-4803-9002-1ab10e7ee54c (scored 0)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Tyler Sullivan on Drew Lock: In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a14b5e6-066b-457f-b409-a3ddbd512aca (scored 0)
- Ralph Vacchiano on Tua Tagovailoa: Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6f782be9-64d3-47cf-b054-6566e14194d6 (scored 0)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/70a7844a-2fb6-44d7-814f-30ec9fbcc26d (scored 100)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0653fc24-437c-4aba-89ee-f1f417e1983d (scored 100)
- Steven Ruiz on Michael Penix Jr.: In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/968b3764-11ef-41b5-a370-ff570b3219d1 (scored 0)
- Mike Florio on Shedeur Sanders: Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cf6258b2-b55f-4f50-84f9-24269a5a006a (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/methodology

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