The Los Angeles Rams have been ramping things up in training camp without their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who has been dealing with a back injury. So far, all that head coach Sean McVay has said is that Stafford is week-to-week, and in the latest media availability, when asked about the quarterback and if he'll practice soon, he had the same thing to say.
“I don’t think so,” McVay said. “It would be week-to-week, but probably not.”
McVay was later asked if Stafford would participate in the Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Chargers joint practices. Another week-to-week response, but a little more this time around.
“The Cowboys, no,” McVay said. “The Cowboys, I would say that’s less than likely. With the Chargers, and I know I’m probably irritating you guys, but it truly is a week-to-week thing and what I don’t want to do is set a timeline. I know he’s making good progress, saw Dr. Watkins again today. Everything is in good shape. But to answer your question, the Cowboys is a no and then we’ll see about the Chargers.”
It makes sense that the Rams are trying to be cautious with Stafford, especially during training camp. The hope is that he's actually ready for Week 1 when they play the Houston Texans.
Will Matthew Stafford be ready for Rams' Week 1 game?
Stafford has a history of injuries, and he knows what he needs for his body to get back to 100% percent. When he's on the field, he's going to give it his all, regardless of how he's feeling. If he does have to miss some time, they have a veteran quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo who is ready to fill in.
About a week ago, McVay was asked if he thought he had the best backup quarterback in the league.
“Yeah, I do. I look at Jimmy; he's a starting quarterback,” McVay said on the Up & Adams Show. “And so what's cool about that, though, is the respect and reverence he has for Matthew and the way that Matthew leads that room, but Jimmy has played at a really high level, and he's going into year 12. He's got so many things to bring to the table, and we were really fortunate that he chose to come back here because he had a lot of other opportunities.”
It's obvious that the Rams have options, but they want Stafford out there when the season starts.
