Yes, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was present at practice on Monday, despite a hamstring injury. However, he only participated in individual drills.
“My biggest thing was [we] wanted to be smart with him,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday. “If there was any sort of sudden movement that set him back, [I] just didn’t think it would be worth it. He’s feeling great. He was obviously very upset at me that he wasn’t practicing today, which is a good thing. That’s what makes him a great competitor. It’s also our job to make sure, looking at the timetable we have . . . if there was any sort of sudden movement where there was a setback, that wouldn’t be worth it. That’s why we held him.”
Hamstring injuries easily can be aggravated, putting the player back to square one and causing him to miss far more time.
Stafford also has a glove on his left hand, because (per McVay) he cut his thumb.
McVay wasn’t sure whether McVay will participate in team drills on Tuesday.
“The goal in mind is making sure that we get a good couple of weeks of preparation for the Detroit game,” McVay said.
With no injury reports due until the days the first regular-season game and no obligation whatsoever to provide injury information now, the Rams have every reason to keep their cards close to the vest. Especially if: (1) they’re concerned about Stafford’s availability for Week 1; (2) they’re not sufficiently confident in Stetson Bennett, their best option in-house for the first two weeks of the regular season; and (3) they hope to add another quarterback without his current team thinking it can squeeze the Rams for a late-round pick.
