LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was a 100 percent participant in practice this week in his return from a back injury, head coach Sean McVay said Thursday.
On Monday, Stafford practiced for the first time during training camp after aggravating a disk in his back during the offseason. Stafford, who spoke about the injury on Thursday for the first time, said there wasn’t just one moment when he sustained the injury, but that it’s “something that crept up on me a little bit.”
Stafford declined to go into specifics about the injury or say whether he anticipates being ready for the Rams’ season opener against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7, but said he’s focused on taking “a day-to-day approach” to the injury.
“Backs are sometimes interesting things,” Stafford said. “It’s not cut and dry what’s what and how you’re going to feel, so I really appreciate our team and our head coach and everybody taking a day-to-day approach with me doing everything they can to try and help me out.
“And I have obviously a huge feeling of responsibility to our team to do what’s right by them and I’m trying to do that as best I can day in and day out.”
Stafford practiced in full Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and took the first-team reps during the Rams’ jog-through on Wednesday. McVay said that from what he can see, “there’s no restrictions and he’s playing at a really high level.”
“I’ve seen a guy that’s gotten better and better,” McVay said. “He looks like the stud that we know. I think the first day was kind of getting comfortable, just getting his feet wet a little bit. And then I think each of the last couple days he’s played really fast. He’s activated all parts of the field, like I mentioned to you guys the other day.”
When asked whether he is still managing back soreness, Stafford said, “This will be 17 years now [in the NFL]. There’s soreness all over the place every time I wake up. But no, it’s something that I’ll manage, like I do a million other things throughout the year.”
Stafford said he “definitely felt a whole lot more like myself out there today” compared to his first practice back on Monday.
“[I] just want to continue to do everything I possibly can to be ready for the guys in the locker room every single day that we have an opportunity to go out there and get better,” Stafford said. “I’m going to do everything I can to be out there while still being smart and knowing, hey, we got something that deserves a little attention.”
Stafford will not travel to Cleveland for the Rams’ preseason finale against the Browns.
