Matthew Stafford will rest his back for another week of training camp, according to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, who initially anticipated his Super Bowl-winning quarterback being sidelined for only the first four practices of camp.
“I probably spoke a little bit too soon,” McVay said Saturday after the Rams’ fourth practice of camp, per the Associated Press. “But the ultimate goal is [being ready for Week 1 of the regular season against] Houston and being mindful of that, so we’ll take it a week at a time with him.”
McVay clarified that Stafford, 37, hasn’t experienced a setback in recovering from the back soreness that McVay previously said “kind of crept up” on his two-time Pro Bowl quarterback this offseason.
“I don’t think we can be smart enough with somebody like Matthew,” McVay said Saturday, as reported by ESPN, “and I think it’s best for him, best for our football team, and that’s kind of the plan that we’ll have moving forward.”
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McVay told NFL Network the Rams are going to be “week-to-week” with Stafford, who is entering his 17th NFL season, including his fifth in Los Angeles.
Although Stafford watched part of Saturday’s practice from the field, he’s spent most of the first week of camp working with Rams athletic trainers.
In Stafford’s absence, Jimmy Garoppolo has taken the lead with the first-team offense. But third-string quarterback Stetson Bennett is expected to get plenty of run during the preseason.
Despite a head-turning comeback in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs last season, Los Angeles fell short of an upset win on the road against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
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In February, Stafford agreed to come back and play for the Rams on a restructured contract that’s valued at $84 million over the next two seasons.