Matthew Stafford is dealing with a significant injury heading into the 2022 NFL season. On Thursday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network revealed that the Los Angeles Rams quarterback is dealing with “bad tendinitis” in his elbow. Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke to reporters on Thursday and said Stafford’s injury is “a little bit abnormal for a quarterback” comparing it to what pitchers have to deal with.
Stafford, who had an elbow injury last year, didn’t throw during the Rams’ spring workouts and received an injection in his elbow during the offseason. As far as training camp goes, Stafford threw during 7-on-7 drills during practice on Thursday but did not take part in any team reps.
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“Could he do it? Yes,” McVay said, per ESPN. “Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so. And I think I’ve got a responsibility to try to make decisions that are in the best alignment using medical experts and talking with Matthew. And so all of those things combined led to where we’re at right now. And it is an ever-evolving process, but we are really taking over these next couple weeks, seeing how they go.”
McVay also said that Stafford looked good in practice on Thursday considering he didn’t participate in any team drills. “[You] want to try to have him operate in as little pain as possible,” McVay said. “I think anytime that you’ve played as long and are as tough as he is, I don’t know if you’re ever truly pain-free, but the goal would be for Sept. 8 and really looking towards 17 games then hopefully some games after that if we earn that opportunity.
“That’s kind of the perspective and the big-picture approach that we want to be able to take. I don’t know that I would feel as comfortable taking that approach if it wasn’t for the experience that he’s accumulated and knowing how intentional he is about staying up to speed with his mental and his physical work that he can do in the absence of some of the stuff in the team settings.”
Stafford, 34, led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship back in February. He joined the team last year after spending his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. Along with winning a Super Bowl, Stafford was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2011 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2014.
