It’s unclear when Matthew Stafford will rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for practice, but head coach Sean McVay says he’s not concerned about his quarterback’s health at this point in the preseason.
Stafford left the Rams’ joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys last week due to hamstring tightness, and did not practice the next day as a result. He also did not play in the Rams’ 13-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, where Stetson Bennett led the team throughout the game as he did in the first preseason win over the Cowboys the week before.
“I’m not worried,” McVay said Sunday, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “I’m not… You want me to be able to get the job done? Absolutely. But I’m not worried based on what I understand about the tightness and erring on the side of caution for this week, if that’s what we end up having to do.”
Stafford threw for 3,965 yards and 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season with the Rams. The 36-year-old also completed nearly 63% of his passes while leading the Rams to a 10-7 finish and a playoff berth, their first following their Super Bowl victory in the 2021 campaign.
If Stafford can’t play, the Rams have Bennett and Jimmy Garoppolo available, although Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
The Rams have one final preseason game against the Houston Texans on Saturday. They then open the regular season against the Lions in Detroit on Sept. 8.
While McVay isn’t sure what Stafford’s week will look like, it doesn’t appear his injury will carry over much into the regular season, if at all.
“He can throw and do some of those things, as far as some of the movements, if he feels good … We haven’t decided yet,” McVay said. “But the arrow is pointing up and he feels good as far as the hamstring tightness from last week.”
