Getty Matthew Stafford hands the ball off during the June 10 open practice for the Los Angeles Rams.
Los Angeles Ram fans now know the extent and outcome of Matthew Stafford’s thumb: There’s no broken bone.
Stafford, though, will still likely miss a few practice days as reported by the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday morning. Stafford suffered a swollen thumb after it collided with a defensive player’s helmet toward the end of Monday’s 11-on-11 session. X-Rays came out negative on his thumb.
#Rams QB Matthew Stafford has a swollen thumb after hitting it on a helmet in practice, but X-Rays were negative, source said. He’ll likely miss a few days, but nothing major.
Meanwhile, Rams beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic also reiterated that Stafford suffered no break in his thumb, but will likely not take any snaps right away.
Injured Thumb was Surgically Repaired One
It’s not just any thumb Stafford injured. It’s the thumb that represents his throwing arm, plus the one he had surgery on.
Back in March, Stafford underwent surgery on his thumb just nearly two months after being acquired via trade from the Detroit Lions, who received former Rams quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks in exchange. His thumb suffered a partially torn ligament that wound up in the surgery room.
Stafford has had injuries to his hand before. In October of 2011, he sustained a hand finger fracture on his right index finger, though he managed to play through the pain. On December 9, 2016, Stafford battled through hand finger dislocation though that injury didn’t require him to miss action.
But of course, fans of the Lions and NFL fans in general probably won’t forget his grit on week 11 of his rookie season against the Cleveland Browns, when he completed the game winning drive on one arm.
Monday’s injury is Stafford’s first as a Ram. The contact occurred during a non-full pad session for the Rams at UC Irvine’s Crawford Field. Rodrigue detailed what happened in her Monday practice report by describing how Stafford smacked his thumb following his throwing motion. He immediately gripped his thumb and attended to vice president of sports medicine and performance for the Rams Reggie Scott.
Head coach Sean McVay showed no body language or any sign of panic on his end, telling the L.A. media “I think he’ll be OK. We’ll see what happened. That’s part of the game. But I think everything will be OK there.” McVay addressed Stafford’s injury in the first part of his post practice presser.
Who Will the Rams Turn to For Now?
Again, it’s not determined how much practice time Stafford will miss. The rest of the Rams quarterback room outside of Stafford now looks like this:
John Wolford: He was the man who replaced Goff late in the season and guided the Rams to their season finale victory over the Arizona Cardinals 18-7. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon, however, couldn’t finish the rest of the playoff win against Seattle due to an injury. By the way, for this season, he’s left No. 9 for Stafford and took No. 13, better known as Kurt Warner’s number.
Bryce Perkins: The ex-Virginia Cavalier was signed to the practice squad in 2020. Before heading the Rams, Perkins shattered the school’s passing record with 3,538 yards in 2019. He also tied another former Cavalier Matt Schaub in career wins with 17. Perkins is more of a dual-threat and his Cavalier past can be found here.
Devlin Hodges: The 25-year-old also went undrafted but collected a litany of accolades at Samford. Nicknamed “Duck,” Hodges began with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 before making his way to the Rams.