The Los Angeles Rams ramped up Matthew Stafford’s workload in practice on Tuesday, with the veteran quarterback taking 60-plus reps in an intrasquad scrimmage. Sean McVay spoke to the media after practice and the energetic coach seemed encouraged with Stafford’s performance.
“I thought he had great energy, great command all day. I thought he threw the ball incredibly accurately in all parts of the field. Really activated all parts of our pass game. There’s a couple where he’s hitting the spots and we just gotta be able to finish some of those plays,” McVay said. “I’m encouraged because we can coach off of those and we’re getting those opportunities to feel what it’s like for him to throw with Allen. Ben Skowronek made a handful of plays. Also, Tutu. He’s got a comfort level with Higbee and Cooper, but some of these newer guys, today was a great step in the right direction to be able to start establishing that rapport that will be critical for this year.”
Since the latter part of last season, Stafford has been dealing with an elbow injury. The veteran signal-caller was able to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory, so the injury didn’t prevent the team from achieving their goal a season ago. This offseason, he had an injection in his elbow to help the injury, but he still felt some pain in camp.
Much has been made about Stafford’s injury after McVay revealed it’s an abnormal injury for a quarterback to deal with. The Rams have put together a plan for Stafford this offseason to avoid overworking his elbow, which has limited the number of snaps he’s taken in practices.
But on Tuesday, McVay wanted an opportunity to have Stafford build chemistry with some of the younger guys and Allen Robinson. It was a veteran rest day for Cooper Kupp, so Stafford had Robinson, Ben Skowronek, and Tutu Atwell available out wide for the majority of his reps.
When watching Stafford throw in practice, McVay and the Rams have been pleased with how he’s looked thus far. While time will tell if the elbow issue becomes a long-term concern, everything appears to be trending in the right direction for the veteran quarterback.
