Matthew Stafford has been dealing with a lower back injury throughout training camp, but the Los Angeles Rams QB should be good for the regular season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported it’s been more of a cautious approach for the veteran signal caller.
Despite there being some concerns for the aging quarterback, Stafford is on track for the Rams’ regular season opener. LA opens up at home against the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 7th.
As long as Stafford is on track to practice fully and perhaps get a few game reps in, it’ll be business as usual. Sure, he’ll need to warm up, but a veteran such as him should have no problem getting back into rhythm.
“Well, Matthew Stafford is tracking for Week 1,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “The Rams feel good about that. They were just erring on the side of caution here because they’re dealing with a lower back injury, so they just didn’t want to re-aggravate that. He’s had back issues in the past. He’s played through a lot of injuries over the years, so 37 years old, they’re just trying to monitor him.
“The Rams goal really was, as long as we get him back by mid-August, early to mid-August, that he could start practicing, getting in the rhythm of that second or third preseason game. Leading up to it, they felt they’d be in good shape with him being ready for Week 1. They didn’t want to put him in a week early where he’d get a setback. So it looks like everything went well on Saturday, Monday, he could be, you know, somewhat limited, though, ease him back in, and it should be tracking well.”
Leading the Rams to the Divisional Round last season, Stafford played 16 regular season games. He threw for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 65.8% completion percentage.
Head coach Sean McVay’s comments gave a specific timeline of what to expect. It appears Stafford could be ready to go, based on how his workout goes.
“He’s due to get a workout in on the day of our preseason game where he’s going to throw, and that was on par with the schedule that we always had. You’ll see him in practice next week. He won’t participate in the Chargers practice just because of – we’re looking at it like he’s got an acclimation period that’ll really start on Saturday once we play the Cowboys,” McVay said to start out with the media on Thursday. “Saturday, for the guys not playing in that preseason game, will represent a great opportunity for Matthew to really start getting out on the field with his guys. And then, whenever we come back on Monday, you’ll start to see him take part in individuals, all those things, which is exactly what was on par with the plan.”
