LOS ANGELES — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford returned to practice on Monday, the first time he has participated in a team workout since minicamp in June.
Stafford, who has been dealing with an aggravated disc in his back, participated in the full practice. During individual drills, Stafford was able to roll out and throw on the move as well as deliver long balls to Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. The quarterback also ran the first-team offense during team drills, moving at full speed and putting his usual power behind the ball.
“It was good to be able to have Matthew out there. He did a good job, I thought he looked good but I don’t really have any updates,” head coach Sean McVay said. “We’re going to keep it a day and really a week at a time. But it was great to be able to see him out there today and we’ll see how this afternoon goes and tomorrow.”
Stafford, 37, had yet to practice this summer due to the issues with his back, which he first began to experience after minicamp in June. The Rams originally hoped he would miss just the first week of practice, but quickly changed that plan to slow-play Stafford’s return to the field.
After two successful workouts that included static throwing, Stafford was supposed to return to individual drills at practice last week. But after waking up with soreness in his back last Monday morning, that plan was scrapped, too.
Stafford was not on the field during practices for all of last week and not seen on the sidelines during the Rams’ second preseason game against the Chargers on Saturday.
The original plan for last week’s practice was for Stafford to only participate in individual drills, so his work with the first-team offense represented an escalation from that.
“I’m not going to pigeonhole myself into any plans. So we’re just really seeing how he feels,” McVay said. “We’re truly taking it a day at a time and a week at a time right now.”
McVay did not provide a plan for whether or not Stafford would practice the rest of the week as the Rams wait to see how his back responds to Monday’s workout. And he did not say whether or not this return to practice gave him confidence that Stafford would be ready for the Rams’ season opener against the Houston Texans.
“I think that would be putting the cart way before the horse,” McVay said. “We had 26 plays of team and did a really nice job of managing the huddle. I thought he saw the field well, I thought he went where the ball should go. … We’re getting a grasp of this. He’s doing everything in his power. … It’s a very fluid situation that demands flexibility.”
Stafford wasn’t the only Ram to return to practice on Monday. Rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson (groin) was in pads and participating for the first time since suffering his injury two weeks ago.
“We were a little bit limited in regards to what he could do but I thought he did a nice job with the few reps he was able to get,” McVay said.