After leading the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl championship, Matthew Stafford was immediately awarded a lucrative four-year contract extension.
The deal should keep Stafford in Los Angeles for the remainder of his career and the Rams should be considered title threats as long as he’s lining up under center. Stafford validated the franchise’s gamble more than a year ago, and he is in prime position to lead them back to the mountaintop during the 2022 season.
Stafford underwent a routine procedure on his elbow in the offseason to help treat an unspecified injury and it prevented him from throwing during voluntary workouts. The quarterback finally got a chance to throw to teammates at the opening of training camp, but he will be on a pitch count as he works himself back, via Helene Elliott of L.A. Times:
Stafford will be on a pitch count throughout camp, as McVay put it, though McVay said that didn’t restrict Stafford from doing anything Sunday. Stafford said there’s a day-to-day plan in place for him to build up his arm strength, but he hopes it’s fluid and acknowledged he might chafe if he feels too limited.
“It’s an interesting thing, trying to have a little bit of governor on there and at the same time, just try and be as smart as I can. It’s a process,” he said. “Gonna have to sit there, work through it, trust it, and we’ll figure it out as we go.”
So far, Stafford has looked fine in the live periods where the offense and defense scrimmage but there’s no point in rushing him back to a full workload at this juncture of the year. Keeping Stafford healthy should be the Rams’ top priority but there should be no concerns as it sounds like both sides are on the same page.
