One of the biggest storylines of the offseason for the Los Angeles Rams was the health of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford didn’t miss a game, but he battled through an elbow issue throughout the season.
Looking to keep the injury in check as much as possible, Los Angeles has had Stafford on a throwing program all offseason and through training camp. Limiting the reps on his arm was a goal of the team as they don’t know how his elbow will react throughout the regular season.
Right now, it appears that Stafford is on track to be under center in Week 1 as the Rams begin their defense of the Lombardi Trophy. During the team’s intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday, Stafford took all of the first team reps and the plan is for him to start ramping up his throwing program this week.
Following the lengthy practice, Stafford said that he was feeling good. Head coach Sean McVay also liked what he saw, saying that Stafford had great command all day.
“It felt like I got a bunch of good work in,” Stafford said in his press conference. “But I feel good and right on track to be doing what I want to be doing.”
It was certainly encouraging to see Stafford perform as well as he did, but the elbow issue will remain a topic of conversation. He was asked if it is something that will be healed in the coming weeks before the regular season begins or if it will be something he has to monitor throughout the season again.
“I’m not going to put a timetable on it,” Stafford said. “I’m just going out there, doing my work, trusting the process that we have. I know that I’m able to go out there and function at a high level right now. So, whatever it feels like, hopefully it continues to keep getting better as it has. But I know that functionally, I feel like I can do everything I need to do. So, just trying to continue on that road.”
Practice reps will be the only chance to see how things progress as there are no plans for Matthew Stafford to appear in preseason games. A joint practice against the Cincinnati Bengals is the closest he may get to game action.
His elbow will certainly be something to keep an eye on throughout the season as Stafford is integral to the team’s success. As long as he can do everything that he needs to on the field, the Rams will remain one of the favorites to win the NFC and represent the conference in the Super Bowl.