Should the Rams Limit Matthew Stafford During Training Camp Again?

As the Los Angeles Rams were heading into the 2025 season, quarterback Matthew Stafford missed the entirety of training camp with a back issue. While Stafford missed all of training camp, he finally hit the field in late August and put together an MVP-type season.

While the Rams downplayed Stafford’s back injury, it was very real and there was a lot of uncertainty about whether he would be ready for Week 1. However, after using an Ammortal Chamber, Stafford returned on August 18th and would go on to win MVP.

Why Resting Stafford Makes Sense

Over the past few years, the Rams have been selective with Stafford and managed his reps during the summer. Last year was certainly unconventional in that Stafford didn’t practice until two weeks before the start of the regular season.

The Rams certainly won’t manufacture a back injury for Stafford, but it’s worth wondering if they should take a similar approach in the sense of limiting his reps. At 38 years old, it’s more important for Stafford to go into the season fresh rather than get reps in during training camp. They also have evidence that the approach worked. With Stafford going into the season fresh, he had one of the best years of his career and won MVP.

Training Camp Reps Could Benefit Ty Simpson

It can be argued that training camp reps for Stafford aren’t necessary at this point in his career. Meanwhile, those reps are valuable for first-round pick Ty Simpson and backup quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Simpson and Bennett will see limited reps once the regular season begins. As the Rams look to develop Simpson, holding Stafford out and giving those reps to their rookie quarterback could be beneficial long-term. As long as Simpson can operate the offense and keep it on schedule, those reps remain valuable for everybody.

How Much Training Camp Does Stafford Really Need?

Stafford could start practicing the week of the first preseason game and be able to step into the offense fine while building chemistry with the wide receivers and tight ends. The Rams already held Stafford out of OTAs, and it’s something they should consider during training camp.

If the Rams are going to win the Super Bowl in 2026, it will be contingent on Stafford playing well and staying healthy. They don’t necessarily need Stafford to play at an MVP level again, but the Rams will only go as far as Stafford takes them.

Keeping Stafford Healthy Is the Top Priority

As Stafford gets older, it will be important to try and limit his reps to keep his arm fresh late in the season. Even if these reps don't appear overly demanding, the less wear and tear at this point of the summer, the better.

Stafford started at an incredible clip last year, throwing 30 touchdowns to two interceptions during the first 12 weeks of the season. That was never sustainable, but he finished the year throwing 16 touchdowns to six interceptions. Both of his multi-interception games happened in the final six weeks.

This has generally been the case with Stafford since joining the Rams. When the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Stafford threw nine interceptions in Weeks 1-10 and then threw nine interceptions from Weeks 12-18 with eight of them coming in the final four weeks.

Stafford's hot start may have been aided by how fresh he was entering the season. Again, that’s not to say that the Rams should hold Stafford out until mid-August like last year, but how important are these reps during training camp. If Stafford were to start practicing the week of the first preseason game on August 10, he would likely be fine. That would also make him available for both joint practices.

Finding the Right Balance

An argument could be made that this time is important to build chemistry with his receivers. However, a month before the season would still give him plenty of time. In addition, all of Stafford's receivers are players from last season. That chemistry has already been developed.

With Stafford being the competitor that he is, it’s unlikely that he would allow the Rams to rest him during the entirety of training camp. Still, the Rams should look to manage his workload before ramping it up in August.

The Rams don’t need Stafford to prove himself during training camp. They already know what he’s capable of. The goal should be to maximize Stafford in December and January while minimizing any unnecessary risk.

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