Matthew Stafford will work on side early in camp due to back soreness
McVay told reporters that Stafford has been experiencing back soreness and will work off to the side to start training camp. McVay noted that this should go for about the first five or so days before Stafford comes back in what McVay termed the second block of training camp.
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'He's been throwing, feeling good. It's not anything that's necessarily new — something that he's dealt with before,' McVay said. 'Going into Year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program. And so we'll allow him to kind of just work off to the side, on his own, get himself feeling as good as possible.
'He feels good about that, I feel good about that, and ultimately it's about having him feel as good as possible — mentally, physically, emotionally, going into Year 17. And then that's where you do feel fortunate that you've got a guy like Jimmy [Garoppolo] that will step in and do a great job for the first few practices. And then Matthew will be ready to roll.'
McVay noted that given Stafford's age and experience, the Rams were planning to give him every fourth day off anyway. That age and experience are also why McVay doesn't feel too concerned about Stafford missing practice time early in camp.
'If he was a first-year player, then I think you'd say, man, every rep really matters,' McVay said. 'I think the important thing is having a big-picture perspective with a guy going into Year 17. This being something that he's had before and dealt with throughout different parts of his career, he's so in tune with his body, and talking with him, I feel really good. And I think that's why you want to be as careful and as cautious as possible, because of the importance of him feeling good.
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'I don't think it's going to affect his ability to be ready to roll. We've got a lot of time. But had he not already had as much experience as he has, maybe I'd feel a little bit differently. But because of his ability to communicate to me, to [the training staff], do feel confident. And I think most importantly, [this is] the right thing for him and our football team.'
Stafford, 37, is entering his fifth season with the Rams. He got through 2024 healthy, with the Rams sitting him in their Week 18 game having already clinched the NFC West. Stafford completed 65.8 percent of his throws last season for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Garoppolo is going into his second season as the Rams' backup. The club also has Stetson Bennett and Dresser Winn at quarterback on the roster.
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