Rams star couldn't be having a worse camp (and fans are starting to panic)

The Los Angeles Rams know that venerable starting quarterback Matthew Stafford's NFL career is coming to an end in the near future. That's why the contract negotiations to extend him for one more season are so very meticulous. How much value can the team truly place on a one-of-a-kind quarterback who is defying the odds and continuing to perform at such a competitively high level?

But as the 2025 Rams training camp has proven, setbacks can occur without warning. Stafford arrived at training camp with back soreness that was supposed to limit him for several days. While that was very concerning, it was nothing to fear. Just a couple of days, five was the number casually used to describe the estimate, before Stafford was back in the pocket.

But days have turned into weeks now. And the matter, while still confirming that Stafford did not suffer any form of setback, has suddenly grown from "It's nothing to worry about," into "It's something, but we hope that Matthew Stafford will be back in time for Week 1."

And the nothing to worry about has suddenly become something to worry about.

In comparison, Alaric Jackson is battling a serious medical condition of blood clotting, and the same "we hope to have him back for Week 1" timeframe applies to him as well. If you want to go back further, minor injuries to both Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein in training camp were given the same ambiguously optimistic time frames in 2024 as well.

It's deja vu all over again

Just to refresh your memories, Havenstein was rushed back after missing Week 1 because the Rams' depth at offensive tackle was depleted instantly. And Alaric Jackson was eventually suspended for two games to start 2024, which benched him as well.

The news about Matthew Stafford is not the end of the world. But it is the sort of news that hits Rams fans where they fear most intensely. At a time when fans wanted to be reassured that Matthew Stafford is building chemistry with all of the new and exciting offensive weapons added to the roster, he is sitting out.

The Rams were committed to extending Stafford because he ensures that this team is at its most competitive form. Even as the team has reformed the same quarterback room in 2025 with backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett, and Dresser Winn, the team is still designed around Matthew Stafford's strengths.

Rams HC Sean McVay has modified the status of Stafford, now labeling his back soreness as week to week.

Rams fans heard plenty of players on a week-to-week status last season. And that eventually contributed to a 1-4 start to the 2024 season. And with the recent history of the team falling into the same pattern (this team was 3-6 in 2023), any underestimation of bad news in training camp is bound to act as a trigger to fans' expectations that were dependent on all the dominoes falling the right way.

Suddenly, the team is facing opening 2025 with some likelihood of playing without the starting quarterback or starting left tackle. And training camp just opened.

Getting this team ready for Week 1 has suddenly jumped from expectation to hope, and that is not what anybody wanted. And with this disappointing news facing the fans, how long before the inevitable questions get asked: Did this team do enough at quarterback in the offseason?

As always, thanks for reading.

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