The Los Angeles Rams’ trades for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie stole the headlines, but bringing Matthew Stafford back for at least another season was arguably their biggest move of the offseason.
However, with all of the wheeling and dealing, the Rams have left themselves in a precarious situation.
How they handle it could loom large the rest of the offseason.
Matthew Stafford Question Looms Large for Rams
GettyThe Los Angeles Rams are playing a dangerous game with Matthew Stafford.
Stafford led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns last season en route to his MVP, and the Rams reached the NFC Championship Game. It was a stark contrast to how the situation looked during the offseason and into the preseason.
Stafford dealt with a back injury that forced him to seek out alternative recovery methods.
The efforts were successful. However, they also serve as an imposing backdrop for this offseason. The Rams are in a vastly different situation behind Stafford.
“What happens if Matthew Stafford gets hurt?” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote on June 9, explaining that “Yeah, yeah, I know. You can say this about pretty much any team — it’s in trouble if its quarterback gets hurt.
“What am I so worried about? Well, Stafford is 38 years old. He managed his back issue well, but it’s still something that has to be monitored — and my personal experience tells me back issues don’t get better as you get older. Add to this the fact that the backup looks like it’ll be Ty Simpson, the very controversial 13th pick who is there more for the future than for the present.
Graziano continued, “On paper, the Rams look like an absolute monster. Stafford is playing the best football of his career in his late 30s. But so much of what they do is built around what he can do, making them feel ill-equipped to handle any potential absence. Last year, they had veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as a backup. This year, as of now, it’s Simpson and Stetson Bennett IV. The Rams had better make sure that weird Airstream-like thing that helped get him on the practice field last summer is still working.”
Rams Came Perilously Close to Losing Matthew Stafford for Muliple Games
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was open about nearly putting Matthew Stafford on injured reserve last season.
Graziano noted that Stafford did not miss any games during the Rams’ entire run. Moreover, the veteran QB has said that he is feeling good this offseason.
Still, Rams head coach Sean McVay was candid about Stafford nearly landing on injured reserve.
“He (Stafford) and I sat down. It’s like, ‘Hey, this isn’t responding the way that we hoped. Let’s put you on temporary IR so we don’t put this … where we feel like this anxiety of having to hit a timeline to be ready to go,” McVay said on “Bussin’ With The Boys” in May.
“Only he could articulate in terms of unique treatments and outside-the-box thinking, where he’s…basically going to a torture chamber for 48 hours. But then, you could also see there’s this mindset that’s the separator in the greats, where he went out there, and he was like, ‘F*** it, I’m going to swing.’ And he did it, and then he never looked back.”
The Rams gave Stafford a revised contract that included a raise and some significant trigger dates. That suggests they are not concerned about his previously balky back.
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