Tuesday marked another day on the sidelines for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose back problem continued to keep him out of duty at training camp.
Stafford, 37, was expected to participate in his first training camp practice on Monday but came out in street clothes. It was no different Tuesday, as Jimmy Garoppolo worked with the first team again and Stafford stayed out of the mix.
“No, no update on Matthew,” assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant said, per Pro Football Talk, “but what I will tell you is it’s very tough for not only him and for the organization. I would say is that he’s trying his best.”
Pleasant went on to say that the Rams were “Matthew’s team” but that he was pleased with how the offensive coaching staff was “catering an offense” toward Garoppolo in recent days.
The developments create further uncertainty about Stafford’s readiness to play in Week 1. Garoppolo is taking the majority of first-team reps as the Rams prepare to open the regular season Sept. 7 against the visiting Houston Texans.
Stafford led the Rams to a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI and is entering his 17th NFL season. A concussion and spinal cord contusion limited him to nine games in 2022, but he only sat out two games in 2023 and one last year.