Even after enduring an unspecified elbow injury in the offseason, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford showed no throwing limitations during the Tuesday scrimmage. The reigning Super Bowl champion’s performance proved that he was right to describe the injury as “irritating” rather than anything serious.
“I just have a little soreness. We’re working through it,” Stafford said. “I felt pretty good today. I thought it looked pretty good. Just trying to be smart with it, and make me feel as good as I can feel going into Week 1 while still getting as many reps as I can, too.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay was pleased with Stafford’s performance during practice.
“I thought he had great energy, great command all day. I thought he threw the ball incredibly accurately in all parts of the field, really activated all parts of our pass game,” McVay said.
Stafford was reported to suffer from elbow pain throughout the previous season. Despite this, he still managed to lead the Rams to the title in his first season with the team. He later received an unknown injection to his elbow during the offseason, which was the reason he didn’t throw at all during the team workouts. Stafford does understand why people are concerned about his elbow’s condition but believes it to be a natural part of the sport.
“Anytime you put an arm through as much stress as I have over the years, it’s not going to look like (a regular person’s) elbow… the more I throw, the worse it’s going to get. It’s kind of just a balancing act at this point,” Stafford said.
The quarterback began to ramp his workload up throughout the training camp and has particularly focused on building chemistry with his receiver, Allen Robinson. Stafford does not currently regard his elbow as an impediment after having full participation in the second straight on Tuesday.
Despite his excellent performance during the practice, McVay’s strategy means Stafford won’t have the opportunity to show off his skills until September 8 when they will be up against the Buffalo Bills.
Rams injuries, roster changes
Currently, the Rams are number two on ESPN’s NFL power rankings, just below the Buffalo Bills. Two of their players, Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson, will be missing practice time due to soft tissue injuries which give other younger players like Jake Funk and Kyren Williams time on the field for scrimmages. Quentin Lake and Travin Howard are also listed as unable to play on the Rams’ official website.
The team also released five players to get under the 85-man roster limit. Punter Cameron Dicker, offensive tackle Adrian Ealy, quarterback Luis Perez, tight end Jamal Pettigrew and defensive back Caesar Dancy-Williams were dropped from the team on Monday. The previous roster limit was 90 players but was changed to 85 earlier this year.
Since the Rams were at 80 players, the team made an addition to their roster in the form of defensive end T.J. Carter. The athlete was waived by the New Orleans Saints on Monday which allowed the Rams to pick him up. Receiver Warren Jackson was waived by the Rams with an injury designation to make room for Carter.