Matthew Stafford will be ready for the Rams' season opener despite the elbow tendinitis he's been dealing with throughout training camp.
The Rams quarterback told reporters Wednesday that he "felt good" the day following an intrasquad scrimmage where he participated in full, which is notable considering the team has been closely monitoring his workload for the past month.
"I felt like I got a bunch of good work in," Stafford said. "I feel good and right on track to be doing what I want to be doing."
Stafford added that he won't be putting a timetable on whether or not the nagging injury will be over and done with by Week 1, or if it's something that will linger all season. Regardless, the 34-year-old indicated that any lingering soreness shouldn't disrupt his performance on the field.
"I know that functionally I feel like I can do everything I need to do," Stafford said. "So, just trying to continue on that road."
Stafford, who's dealt with plenty of pain throughout his 13-year NFL career, overcame the issue during the Rams' Super Bowl-winning season in 2021. Excluded from offseason workouts after undergoing a procedure on the elbow, Stafford has consistently downplayed the nagging injury and has maintained all along that his performance won't suffer.
Rams coach Sean McVay supported Stafford's claims on Wednesday, saying he hasn't seen "any reason to be concerned" about the issue. McVay added that Stafford threw more than 75 balls during Tuesday's practice. Said McVay: "He looked like the Matthew I know."
By all accounts, Stafford and the Rams hope to put one preseason storyline to rest as they look to defend their Super Bowl crown. The Rams will do so in a highly anticipated prime-time opener versus the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 8.
"It was awesome. It was a lot of fun to be out there," Stafford said of Tuesday's scrimmage. "Got a bunch of good reps with the guys. I thought our guys up front played really well, did a nice job. It was a good, competitive team practice, which was good to have at this point in camp. It's just fun to be back out there, you know, letting it rip."
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