Rams HC Says There’s ‘Zero Chance’ Matthew Stafford Plays in Preseason

Getty Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks the field before a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Fans of the Los Angeles Rams wondering how Matthew Stafford will look throwing the football and directing the offense during the preseason will now have to wait until the regular season to find out.

Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed on the Doug Gottlieb Show his plan for his newest starting quarterback during the three preseason contests: Stafford will sit.

“There is zero chance you will ever see Matthew Stafford take a snap in the preseason for the Rams as long as I’m the coach. That will never happen,” McVay told Gottlieb near the 6:45 mark of the interview he conducted that was released Thursday. “He is not going to play.”

One Likely Reason Behind the Decision

Obviously, the Rams and McVay are taking precautionary measures with QB1 following his Monday injury.

Stafford banged his right thumb, which was surgically repaired back in March, onto a defender’s helmet during a passing drill in 11-on-11 action. The longtime Detroit Lion Stafford ended up clutching his thumb and needed a towel wrapped around it, forcing him to not finish that camp session at UC Irvine’s Crawford Field. The X-rays came out negative and showed no breaks, but Stafford was diagnosed with a contusion on his thumb.

Stafford, miraculously, still practiced the following day when McVay said the QB had the option to sit. Stafford told the L.A. media “It’s our first day in pads, and I want to be out there,” as his primary reason why he opted not to sit out the Tuesday practice with a bad thumb.

“Every opportunity I get, whether if I’m 100% or not, every opportunity I get to call plays and run against our defense and with our guys is an opportunity I need to get,” Stafford further explained. “And I don’t want to waste them. If it was good enough to go, then I’m going to be out there to go.”

However, preventing a repeat of Monday isn’t the only reason behind McVay’s decision to keep Stafford on the sidelines for the August games against the Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.

Giving the Other Guys a Chance

McVay said competitive opportunities among the reserves and the guys trying to make the final roster is another primary reason why Stafford will sit. It won’t just be for preseason games, but in joint practices as well.

“That’s why it’s important for us to try to get competitive ‘opps’ against some of these other teams in practice settings. Practicing against the Cowboys this Saturday. Get the Raiders twice. So we’re always looking for those things,” McVay said. “Until you tell me that if a guy gets hurt in the preseason that we’ll get those games back or they’ll add them on the schedule afterwards as, ‘Oh yeah, you get two games because you lost those guys in the preseason,’ it’s hard for me to make sense of it.”

Stafford won’t be the only veteran who will stand on the sidelines. McVay mentioned a week ago that new starting running back Darrell Henderson will be held out during the trio of August games following Cam Akers’ season ending Achilles tear.