Matthew Stafford practices for the first time since start of Rams training camp

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times on Aug 18, 2025

Published in Football

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LOS ANGELES — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is back.

But to what degree remains to be seen.

Stafford, sidelined since the start of training camp because of a back issue, practiced Monday for the first time.

That qualified as an unexpected and momentous development for the Rams as they prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford, 37, went through individual and team drills with the first-team offense. The 17th-year pro was a full participant, but he did not speak to reporters afterward.

“It was good to be able to have Matthew out there,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “There are no updates. We’re going to take it a day, a week at a time.“

Stafford looked sharp and had no noticeable limitations during the one-hour practice. The Rams typically go through fast-paced, energetic workouts.

But there was a heightened, palpable sense of excitement from other players when Stafford went into the huddle for the first 11-on-11 period.

“That certainly was something that guys felt good about,” McVay said, adding, “This represents a great opportunity that he wanted to be out there and do what he did ... and we’ll see what [Tuesday] entails.”

Based on what he saw of Stafford, how confident is McVay that Stafford will be ready for the opener?

“I think that would be putting the cart way before the horse,” McVay said.

McVay used his post-practice news conference to pull back the reins on himself.

From the start of training camp, McVay publicly set target dates for Stafford to begin practicing or go through individual workouts. Many of those dates came and went with Stafford still sidelined.

Questions followed.

“There was lot of things that we had talked about at the beginning, and it’s kind of gone a little bit differently than what we had planned,” McVay said.

On Monday, McVay repeatedly said there were no updates on Stafford’s situation — “We’re trying to get our hands on it” — and that the Rams would proceed a day at a time.

“I’m not going to pigeonhole myself into any plans,” McVay said. “And so we’re just really seeing how he feels.”

Until Monday, Stafford’s only active on-field work occurred Aug. 9, when McVay said Stafford threw more than 60 passes encompassing short, medium and long routes. Stafford was scheduled to practice two days later, but was not able to do so.

Last Saturday, before the Rams played the Chargers, Stafford was scheduled to go through another workout. But when asked to confirm whether Stafford did so, the Rams on Saturday night declined to comment, sending the NFL world abuzz with speculation about Stafford’s health.

On Monday, the Rams confirmed that Stafford did not go through the Saturday session.

And Stafford looked eager and energized during the practice.

Stafford and quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett and Dresser Winn began by taking snaps from centers. They moved on to executing roll-out passes, stretched with the team and then did hand-off drills with running backs.

When they gathered for 11-on-11 drills, Stafford connected with receiver Davante Adams on his first pass. On the next play, he scrambled forward out of the pocket and attempted a short pass that fell incomplete, moving with no obvious hindrance or signs of discomfort.

Those were positive signs for a Rams team aiming to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2021 season.

But McVay was not allowing himself to get too excited or look too far ahead.

“My job is to make sure you stay steady and even-keeled — No. 1 for Matthew but for our group,” he said. “Of course you want him to feel as good as possible and be able to lead the way.

“But if the circumstances don’t allow that, then we have a lot of confidence in Jimmy and Stetson and our group as a whole.”

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