How worried are you about Matthew Stafford’s back soreness?
One of the main storylines throughout NFL training camp has been the back soreness of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. At the end of the day, Stafford’s back soreness could be nothing to worry about, but at the same time, it’s also not something that should be ignored. There are 32 NFL training camps and 31 of them have their starting quarterback practicing. The Rams are the only team that doesn’t.
Stafford has gone from only missing the first five days to now being week-to-week. The Rams and Stafford have also consulted with the team’s spinal surgeon which could lead someone to believe that it is more than just back soreness.
With that said, it is still just the second week of training camp. There is plenty of time for Stafford to get healthy and be ready for Week 1. Diante Lee from The Ringer recently ranked various storylines from training camp on a panic meter. The scale ranged from 1-5, with five being ready to throw in the towel on specific teams and players before Week 1.
On a scale of 1-5, Lee gave Matthew Stafford’s back soreness a “three and rising.” Said Lee,
“Just a week into training camp, Stafford has yet to practice and is “week to week” with back soreness, according to head coach Sean McVay. McVay has also described Stafford’s recovery timeline as “fluid,” leaving Jimmy Garoppolo as the quarterback handling the first-team reps for the time being. Surely the Rams would like Stafford to get some practice time with new receiver Davante Adams before Week 1….Even though the Rams haven’t given a detailed diagnosis of what Stafford’s dealing with, we know that he broke bones in his back earlier in his career, and he missed time in 2022 due to a contusion in his spinal cord…I would not be surprised if we see Los Angeles take things as slow as possible with Stafford in camp. It will be interesting to see whether McVay tweaks the offense when Stafford returns to better protect the quarterback. Like seemingly everyone else, I believe Los Angeles can beat anyone when Stafford is in a groove; I’m just not sold on his body’s ability to get him there.”
While Stafford is heading into year 17, this time of year is still very valuable. It’s during this time that Stafford has been able to develop a rapport with players like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Stafford was able to get some work in with Davante Adams during OTAs, but that was also all in shorts and a t-shirt. The Rams also drafted a tight end in the second round that they will be looking to utilize in the passing game. Ferguson and Stafford getting on the same page is important.
As of now, we are likely still in ‘wait-and-see’ mode when it comes to Stafford’s back soreness. However, given how vague the Rams tend to be with injuries, it is fair to have some level of worry. That doesn’t mention Stafford’s history of back injuries. Nobody is straight up panicking yet or questioning Stafford’s availability for Week 1. At the same, it’s never good to be entering training camp with questions around the quarterback position.