The Los Angeles Rams are looking to find their way back into the playoffs this season and a lot of it will depend on the health of quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, he left Wednesday’s joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys early as he experienced hamstring tightness.
Instead of Stafford, Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett finished the practice splitting the reps while he watched from the sideline. After the practice, offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur discussed exactly what happened for the second-half of the practice.
“[Stafford] operates at a world-class level. But we know that every rep is going to be valuable fo him, no matter how many plays he’s had. Unfortunately, he had some [hamstring] tightness.”
This could be something that could be something as Stafford was scheduled to speak to reporters after Wednesday’s practice. However, the media availability was canceled and Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay was not scheduled to speak either. Matthew Stafford had a solid season as he finished the 2023 season going 326-of-521 (62.6%) for 3,965 yards with 24 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He had a strong NFC Wild Card Game in a loss against the Detroit Lions as he went 25-of-36 for 367 yards with a pair of passing touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the 36-year-old quarterback to recover fully from this tightness.
What should we expect out of the Los Angeles Rams QB situation?
If Matthew Stafford misses time at the beginning of the season, it may be tough for the Los Angeles Rams. Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett are expected to be the other two quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart but things can look bleak quickly. Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, so he would not be available.
Stetson Bennett was a solid quarterback with the Georgia Bulldogs but did not participate with the team due to mental health issues. It will be interesting to see if Stafford can stay upright for his fourth season with the Rams and played in 41 of 51 potential games. If the Rams are without Stafford, things can be interesting quick in the City of Stars.
About the Author
Vincent Pensabene graduated from Saint Leo University in 2019 with a B.A. in Sport Business and has focused on the media side of sports. He writes for multiple publications and is interested in the reasoning of why things happen. Feel free to follow him on social media @TalkVinTalk and discuss all things sports.
