Sean McVay’s preseason message on Matthew Stafford could change everything

While the Los Angeles Rams were taking on the Dallas Cowboys in their first preseason game of 2025, another sort of competition was staged behind the scenes. The Rams put starting quarterback Matthew Stafford through his paces in a controlled and scripted exercise to determine whether his aggravated disc injury had recovered to a point of allowing his return to football-related activities.

And as the Rams won their game over the Cowboys by a score of 31-21, Stafford seemed to overcome his ailment as well. It's the type of news that fans have been eagerly anticipating, and it's the news that head coach Sean McVay has been eager to share:

There was plenty of information being shared. While there was plenty to talk about after the dominant preseason win, there were several points made about Stafford's care plan that played like music to fans' ears.

Sean McVay gives encouraging update on Matthew Stafford's health

McVay dropped the most animated update on Stafford yet:

"It was awesome. He (Matthew Stafford) looked good. He threw the ball really well. There was no limitation in terms of the types of throws (whether) deep, intermediate, or short. We were moving the launch point, and he felt really good. So we're looking forward to progressing him back into practice on Monday. But it was a good step in the right direction." - Rams HC Sean McVay discussing QB Matthew Stafford

So what type of work did Stafford do? He threw more than 60 passes from various platforms and ranges, doing very well throughout the exercise, and appeared to check all the boxes for medical staff and trainers to give a green light to his advancing to the next phase of his care plan.

What that means is Stafford will take part in individual drills on Monday. He won’t be dropped straight into the team routine and expected to blend in seamlessly. He’s been away from football for weeks. Even without an IR designation, the team will test, assess, and gather feedback from Stafford through every phase of his recovery.

That will take time. The 37-year-old needs to ramp up between now and Week 1, which means that he has a finite number of training days and practices to do so. And he will need to confirm his comfort and ability through individual drills, all the way through participating in full contact.

This is a great first step. But it's not an 'all's clear', not yet anyway. The Rams have time to get him up to speed. And despite the 'He can play today' rhetoric, the Rams and Matthew Stafford will need it.
As always, thanks for reading.

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