Matthew Stafford will throw passes on Saturday.
But not at SoFi Stadium, where the Rams will play the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason game.
Coach Sean McVay said Thursday that the back issue that has sidelined Stafford since the start of training camp was related to an aggravated disc, and that Stafford recently received an epidural from spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.
Stafford will go through a workout at the Rams’ Woodland Hill facility Saturday morning.
If the Rams were playing a regular-season game — they open on Sept. 7 against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium — Stafford would play, McVay said.
“As of right now, everything is on track to be able to get him a good month of work before we end up opening up against the Texans,” McVay said.
Stafford is not the only key player dealing with an injury.
About an hour into Thursday’s practice, edge rusher Jared Verse left the field with the assistance of two trainers. Verse, last season’s NFL defensive rookie of the year, “bumped knees” with defensive lineman Braden Fiske, McVay said.
“We’ll hope that he ends up being OK,” McVay said.
Rams linebacker Jared Verse interacts with teammates during training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 29.
(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
Stafford’s condition, however, remains the most important for a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.
Last spring, the Rams and Stafford agreed to terms on an adjusted contract that gives the quarterback a $47.5-million salary-cap number this season, according to Overthecap.com.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been taking first-team snaps in place of Stafford. Garoppolo and other starters and potential impact players will not play in preseason games, so Stetson Bennett will start at quarterback against the Cowboys.
Stafford’s back issue came to light when the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 22. McVay said that day that Stafford would not practice the first week but would participate in team drills thereafter.
But after the first week, McVay said he spoke too soon: Stafford would continue to work with trainers and medical personnel away from the main practice fields and he would be evaluated a week at a time.
“I don’t have any reason to be concerned,” McVay said at the time.
Stafford, who is entering his 17th season, has been observing practices and offering other quarterbacks feedback, including during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Cowboys in Oxnard.
After Saturday’s workout, Stafford is scheduled to practice next week, McVay said, though he will not participate in a joint practice with the Chargers on Wednesday.
“And then you’ll just continue to see his workload increase as long as he’s feeling good,” McVay said.
Stafford’s condition did not result from a specific offseason incident, according to McVay.
Stafford participated in what amounted to two jog-throughs in Maui during a trip that concluded the Rams’ offseason program. After returning, Stafford had been throwing and was “feeling good” but experienced “a little bit of soreness” that precipitated an examination and the decision to have an epidural, McVay said.
“You can’t be too smart with these types of things,” McVay said, adding that the plan the Rams have followed was made “to err on the side of caution.”
Stafford, the top pick in the 2009 NFL draft, played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions before the Rams traded for him in 2021 and won Super Bowl LVI. McVay has said that Stafford’s condition was not related to the season-ending spinal bruise Stafford suffered in 2022, which sidelined him for the final seven games.
Asked Thursday if Stafford’s disc issue resulted from a previous injury, McVay said he did not know.
“I know that he’s had some similar things in terms of the disc being aggravated before, going back to Detroit, but I wouldn’t be equipped to answer that,” McVay said.
Regardless, Stafford’s first big step toward playing in the opener comes Saturday.
“Easing him back in and really being able to build him back up is the smart thing,” McVay said.
Etc.
Defensive linemen Kobie Turner (back) and Poona Ford (groin), safety Kam Curl (ankle), cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (hamstring), linebacker Nate Landman (calf), offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (chest bruise), tight end Terrance Ferguson (groin) did not practice Thursday.
