It seems like every day there’s a new report about Matthew Stafford’s back injury. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback has been sidelined since the start of camp with what we now know is an aggravated disc, unable to participate in a single practice thus far.
Stafford had an epidural to help him deal with the pain, according to Ian Rapoport, but that doesn’t change his timeline for return. In fact, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reported Stafford is set to resume on-field work this week.
Andrew Whitworth is good friends with Stafford and attended the Rams’ joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, so he shed a little light on how the quarterback is feeling.
“Yeah, he’s frustrated,” Whitworth said on the “Rich Eisen Show” Wednesday. “But the dude he is, he’s trying his best not to show that to his teammates and be the leader he is all the time. And you know what? In his own time, I’m sure he’s pushing himself as hard as he possibly can because you want to be out there with the guys and it’s miserable to not be. There’s nothing worse than watching an NFL practice and wanting to be out there on that field.”
While Whitworth doesn’t know the exact timetable for Stafford’s return, he doesn’t sound worried about whether he will play in the season opener on Sept. 7 – despite acknowledging that there is a little bit of concern overall about the quarterback’s health.
“They want to win this division again,” Whitworth said. “It’s going to be a challenge. I think all the other teams in this division have gotten better and I think they’ve got to have a fast start. So yeah, obviously there’s concern, but I don’t think there’s concern, but I don’t think there’s concern on whether Matthew Stafford will be out there Week 1 playing quarterback for the Rams.”
The Rams dealt with a similar scenario in 2022 when Stafford was extremely limited in training camp due to an elbow injury that required an injection earlier that offseason. The Rams started that year 3-3 before their bye and then lost six games in a row, sending the season completely off the rails.
Stafford only played nine games before being shut down due to a neck injury and the offense finished dead last in total yards. It doesn’t sound like his back is as concerning this time around, but it’s hard not to think about that dreadful season three years ago.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Andrew Whitworth doesn’t think there’s concern about Matthew Stafford playing Week 1
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
