Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford, Rams enter season healthy and ready to defend Super Bowl

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 11:46 a.m. ET

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFC West Writer

After a gauntlet of 21 games in a six-month span that led to his first Super Bowl win, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has prioritized getting his team through training camp and the preseason as healthy as possible.

So far, mission accomplished.

"Because we finished up so late, we've had some unique circumstances that you work through," McVay told reporters this week. "Look at Matthew [Stafford] early on in camp. We had Van [Jefferson] go down. We've talked about the [running] backs.

"One of our goals is to get to Sept. 8 healthy and ready to go. … I do feel really good about where we are at."

Things are not perfect, however, as the Rams prepare for the season opener at SoFi Stadium next week against the visiting Buffalo Bills.

As McVay alluded to, Stafford did not throw at all during the offseason due to lingering soreness in his right elbow. He received an injection in his throwing arm to help with the issue, and he was on a limited throwing plan during training camp.

The 34-year-old QB did not play in any of the Rams' preseason games, but he did participate in joint practices against the Cincinnati Bengals last week and has been involved in some team drills during training camp. While Stafford is still dealing with some discomfort, the Rams are hopeful he can gut it out during the regular season.

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"I feel pretty good," Stafford said after the joint practice against the Bengals. "I feel like I can make all the throws. It's just getting into a rhythm, just the actual, technical aspect of playing the position."

Jefferson suffered a left knee injury that required surgery during training camp, and his availability is in question for next week. Running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. are dealing with "soft-tissue injuries," according to McVay. But both returned to practice this week.

Rookie offensive lineman and third-round pick Logan Bruss is out for the year after suffering ACL and MCL tears in his right knee.

McVay said the Rams will take three days off, mandated by the league's collective bargaining agreement, and then come back Friday to start the work week building up to Thursday's opener.

The Rams have fielded one of the younger rosters in the NFL the past five years, but they do have some older core players like Stafford, linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Aaron Donald. To limit injuries to older players or core guys, McVay stopped playing starters during the preseason early during his coaching tenure. He chooses instead to get meaningful reps for foundational players in joint practices, where things are more controlled and they can work on situational football.

McVay has also leaned on Reggie Scott, vice president of sports medicine and performance for the Rams, to implement enhanced preventative and recovery methods for the players.

"Our first year, we took a very similar approach to what most teams do," McVay told reporters during training camp. "You play your starters for a quarter during the first preseason game, and then it kind of builds up a little bit to the second and the third. We played most of our starters the whole first half against the Raiders in our first year.

"And then going into 2018, we had some injuries where we were going to hold guys out, and we didn't want it to be a detriment for other guys who were playing. And then it just kind of organically turned into … let's try to create competitive situations and get as many joint practices as we can. We can mimic game-like situations while minimizing the risk of injury."

As a result, the Rams were in the top five the past two seasons in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Games Lost (AGL), a metric that accounts for players missing games or playing at less than 100 percent due to injury. The Rams ranked No. 5 overall in Adjusted Games Lost last season and No. 2 in 2020.

Odell Beckham Jr. is helped off the field during Super Bowl 56. The receiver suffered a torn ACL and is expected back later this season. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Dr. David Chao is a former team doctor for the Chargers and an NFL injury expert. He created Sports Injury Central, a website that provides expert analysis on player injuries. Chao said that while preseason plans vary, if the Rams' approach isn't broken, then don't fix it.

"My personal philosophy has always been, there isn't a one size fits all solution," Chao said. "But it is tricky. It's the porridge for Goldilocks — one degree too hot or one degree too cold, and you get judged in retrospect.

"The Rams largely have a veteran team, and quite honestly, that's what they [had] last year, and they won the Super Bowl. You're not going to mess with success."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.