For the second time, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has spoken with No. 1 back surgeon, Dr. Robert Watkins.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford met with the team’s back specialist for the second time according to head coach Sean McVay. As reported by the LA Time’s Gary Klein, “Stafford, 37, saw back specialist Dr. Watkins again on Saturday, McVay said.”
It’s the second time that Stafford and the Rams have consulted with Dr. Watkins. Reported by Adam Grosbard of the LA Daily News last Tuesday, “After speaking with Stafford, vice president of sports medicine Reggie Scott and Dr. Robert G. Watkins IV – the Rams’ spine surgeon – the team has decided to take a week-to-week approach with Stafford’s recovery.”
Stafford has yet to take snaps during training camp as backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo takes all of the first team reps. The Rams quarterback was originally meant to just miss the first week of training camp before being given a week-to-week designation. McVay confirmed on Saturday that Stafford would miss the team’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys that’s to be held in Oxnard, California on Tuesday.
That’s certainly noteworthy as the Rams value the joint practices more than preaseason games. The Rams tend to rest their starters during the preseason and instead get more controlled, focused reps during joint practices. For Stafford to be missing that is certainly notable.
As it stands, the Rams are one month away from the practice week leading up to Week 1 against the Houston Texans. The next joint practice will take place on August 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers. McVay didn’t commit one way or the other to say whether or not Stafford would be available. However, it seems much more likely that Week 1 is the priority.
Stafford’s back soreness is yet another injury to a key player that the Rams have been extremely vague about and downplayed the severity. Two meetings with Dr. Watkins is something that should not be ignored.
Dr. Watkins is the top spinal surgeon in the nation who specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, artificial disc replacement, and computer-guided spine surgery. He is the current spine surgeon for the Rams among the other Los Angeles sports teams. Dr. Watkins has a long history of working with high-profile athletes. He was the neck surgeon for Peyton Manning in 2011 and 2013 and performed the back surgeries on tight end Rob Gronkowski in 2013 and 2016. When former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was shut down in 2021, Dr. Watkins was the surgeon who was consulted.
At 37 years old, there’s a chance that this was always the plan with Stafford as he enters his 17th season. After 17 years, there’s a lot of wear and tear on the body, especially for a player that has played through as much as Stafford has. However, even if it is being done with player maintenance in mind, it’s certainly a situation that’s worth monitoring over the next couple of weeks. Rams training camp ends on August 4 before the team begins their normal practice routine in prep for the regular season.