Rams wrap up training camp at LMU on August 4th without a timeline for Matthew Stafford’s return
It is often said that no news is good news; however, that couldn’t be further from the truth for the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford’s back injury.
The Rams will wrap up training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Monday, August 4th. Stafford sat out the first two weeks and still has no timetable for a return as we head into the third week. The team will move to their Woodland Hills training facility ahead of the preseason, which kicks off a week from Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.
Simply put, Stafford is in danger of missing the entirety of training camp at LMU. McVay says he doesn’t want to give his quarterback a return date only for the plan to change. They are going to be patient and be good stewards for Stafford’s health. That seems like a reasonable stance from the head coach in order to avoid the creation of a media frenzy; however, Rams beat writers are failing fans by not holding McVay’s feet to the fire. We deserve a real update since the Rams are the only team who currently does not have their Week 1 starting quarterback in practice with the rest of the team.
Is this injury more serious than the Rams are letting on? Even if the Rams truly don’t know when Stafford will be healthy enough to practice, fans and sports betters have a right to know. The shroud of mystery has continued for nearly three weeks and it’s time to pull back the curtain.
While it is fair to say practice probably isn’t too important for a veteran with more than a decade and a half of starting experience, the Rams are introducing new pass catchers into the offense and they need reps with their quarterback ahead of the regular season. Davante Adams has been candid about the challenges of not having Stafford. Rookie Terrance Ferguson also figures to play a large role and he’s yet to spend meaningful time with his signal caller.
It’s important to note that Los Angeles has started slow out of the gates the last two seasons. It’s imperative that they right the ship this year or they risk falling behind in a generally improved NFC West division. Instead, the Rams seem to be on a trajectory for more of the same.
How could we possibly feel optimistic about Stafford’s prospects in 2025 without knowing the odds he is up against?
The longer this goes on, the more pessimistic we must grow surrounding this year’s team.
