Matthew Stafford On Elbow Injury
One of the top storylines around the Rams in recent weeks has been the lingering issue affecting quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s throwing elbow. Just as the team expressed confidence that it won’t affect his availability for the start of the regular season, Stafford himself has downplayed its significance. 
[RELATED: Rams Deny Stafford Experienced Setback]
“I’m just going through something that is irritating, at the moment, but I’m working through it,” the 34-year-old said, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required). “We’ve got a great plan. I’m feeling stronger every time I come out and throw… I’m right on track, feeling good.”
Stafford sat out for OTAs, but resumed throwing at the beginning of training camp. Shortly thereafter, though, his workload was scaled down again, as the team looks to keep him on a ‘pitch count.’ Head coach Sean McVay repeated over the weekend that Stafford (who participated in team drills on Saturday) remains “very much on track with what we had hoped” regarding his scheduled recovery.
Neither McVay nor Stafford have stated whether of not they anticipate the unnamed issue will remain a chronic problem into the regular season. The latter described it as “just a little soreness, [which] we’re working through.” Rodrigue posits that the team is using an abundance of caution while managing the stress on Stafford, who played a 21-game schedule last year (combining regular and postseason games) and has a well-documented history of playing through injury.
Given the financial investment the defending champions have made in him, waiting until closer to the beginning of the regular season to increase Stafford’s workload again could prove to be wise. In any event, the Pro Bowler’s remarks on the danger of setting himself back through overextension should be cause for optimism for all involved.
“It’s not one of those things that, the more I throw, the worse it’s gonna get. It’s kind of just a balancing act at this point.”
No Deal Imminent For Odell Beckham Jr.; Rams Still Interested In Reunion
The onset of training camps has brought about another wave of veterans signing new deals, or at least meeting with prospective teams in the hopes of landing a contract. Odell Beckham Jr. is still unlikely to be included in either scenario in the immediate future, but the free agent remains a name worth watching. 
Multiple NFC teams have expressed interest in signing the 29-year-old in recent months, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that he could still have a number of suitors (video link). The Buccaneers expressed interest before signing Julio Jones, and Rapoport “expects” the Packers to still be included among the teams willing to sign him, given the lack of proven options in their re-worked receiving corps.
The landing spot Beckham remains most connected to, though, is Los Angeles. Rapoport adds that the Rams “still have maintained interest” in a reunion as the offseason has progressed. His level of play after joining the team midseason – 593 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 total games – led to the team expressing optimism about a deal being finalized this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler has reciprocated that desire, but is still not expected to sign with anyone soon.
As he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl, Beckham won’t be available to play for several weeks to begin the season. That timeframe allows him to approach free agency without the urgency of healthy players, leaving open the possibility that he remains a free agent well into the campaign. On that point, Rapoport adds that nothing is considered “imminent” with respect to a contract being signed this summer.
The Rams still have Cooper Kupp at the top of their WR depth chart, and added Allen Robinson in free agency. The loss of Robert Woods leaves a starting spot available, though, and with over $8MM available in cap space, the team could afford a modest deal for Beckham. As the pool of available free agents continues to shrink, it will be interesting to watch how his market develops over time.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Marcell Ateman
- Released: OL Eric Smith
- Activated from PUP: TE Maxx Williams
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tae Hayes
- Waived: LS Thomas Fletcher
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on PUP: LB Anthony Barr
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Darrius Shepherd
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Austin Trammell
- Waived/injured: TE Kyle Markway
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Browns): DB Nate Meadors
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated off NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: TE Jordan Matthews (story)
Washington Commanders
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby
- Waived (injury designation): LB Drew White
Latest On Rams' WR Situation
Van Jefferson‘s second 2022 surgery will shut him down for weeks. In their No. 3 wide receiver’s stead, the Rams are using the likes of second-round pick Tutu Atwell, veteran backup Ben Skowronek, converted tight end Jacob Harris and fifth-year return specialist Brandon Powell, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Of course, the Rams have also been linked — mostly by their own words — to a second Odell Beckham Jr. contract.
Jefferson’s surgery went well, Rodrigue tweets, adding a Week 1 return should be realistic. Although the Rams signed Beckham when Robert Woods was still healthy, Jefferson’s role was not threatened after the latter’s injury. He finished his sophomore NFL slate with 50 receptions, 802 yards (nearly quadrupling rookie-year total) and six touchdowns. Although Beckham coming back and joining Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson would threaten Jefferson’s playing time, the third-year receiver should have a firm grip on the WR3 job for a bit.
Rams Deny Matthew Stafford Experienced Elbow Setback
An elbow injury kept Matthew Stafford from throwing during the Rams’ OTA sessions, and although the Super Bowl-winning quarterback started to throw at training camp, this injury continues to be an issue.
The Rams have scaled back Stafford’s workload since he started at camp full-go, and Sean McVay said the 14th-year passer experienced some pain Monday. As a result, Stafford has not participated in team drills since and, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required), is unlikely to do so until the team returns to its regular facility in Thousand Oaks, Calif., later in August.
“No, it’s consistent with what’s been going on,” McVay said, via Rodrigue, regarding a setback. “When you really look at the totality of it, wanted to try to have him operate in as little pain as possible. I think that anytime that you’ve played as long or are as tough as he is, I don’t know if you’re ever truly ‘pain-free,’ but the goal would be for Sept. 8 and looking towards 17 games, hopefully some games after that … that’s kind of the perspective and the big-picture approach that we want to be able to take.
“… We’re really taking it a week at a time, really a couple of weeks. Don’t expect him to do anything in these team settings for this block or the next three days, next week. Nothing has changed. … This is part of the plan that we feel like is in his best interest.”
Stafford received an anti-inflammatory injection during the spring, so his right elbow problem — an ailment NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport classified as “bad tendinitis” (video link) — lingering months later is a cause for potential concern. The former No. 1 overall pick, who signed a four-year extension worth $160MM this offseason, has thrown well when available during camp, per Rodrigue, and has continued to throw during red zone and individual drills on his limited days. This plan still differs from the Rams’ 2021 training camp, when Stafford was a full participant throughout.
Until Stafford debuts or can practice consistently without limitations, this will be a situation worth monitoring. The longtime Lions starter has been known to play through injuries over the course of his career, which included no missed games from 2011-18 and just one season (2019, when back fractures sidelined him) with any missed starts over the past 11. Back and ankle injuries did not deter Stafford from making 21 starts last season, a rather notable campaign for the Rams. John Wolford remains Stafford’s backup.
Rams’ Van Jefferson To Undergo Surgery
AUGUST 1: McVay said Jefferson will undergo knee surgery Tuesday, though the sixth-year Rams HC described the procedure as minor and indicated the timetable here will be a few weeks, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter). McVay stopped short of guaranteeing Jefferson would be ready for the regular season, however.
JULY 31: Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson will see a knee specialist on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). The third-year pro missed practice on Saturday, and in speaking with reporters after practice, head coach Sean McVay did not explicitly say whether Jefferson’s absence was related to his knee.
“We’re figuring that out right now, working through that,” McVay said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, citing Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “I’ll have more information for you later — like I said, I don’t have anything right now.”
Those comments don’t shed much light on the matter, but Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic says that the coach was clearly concerned about his big-play wideout (Twitter link). McVay is not scheduled to speak with the media today, so we are unlikely to have additional information until Monday at the earliest.
Jefferson played through a knee injury late in the 2021 regular season and throughout the Rams’ postseason run to a Super Bowl title. As Rodrigue notes (via Twitter), Jefferson underwent a knee procedure in the spring, though he appeared to be in good health when training camp opened and was moving well. Per Rapoport, Jefferson could miss a few weeks, and another surgery is on the table.
The Rams selected Jefferson in the second round of the 2020 draft, and he played a key role in the club’s offensive success in 2021. Despite the knee problems, he started all 17 regular season contests, compiling 50 catches for 802 yards (good for a terrific 16.0 yards-per-reception rate) and six TDs. He also started all four postseason games, adding nine more catches for 102 yards.
Los Angeles has an enviable WR corps, with Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Jefferson as the top three players on the depth chart. The team invests heavily at the position, and if Jefferson is forced to miss time, the Rams have 2021 draftees Tutu Atwell, Jacob Harris, and Ben Skowronek waiting in the wings. An Odell Beckham reunion has consistently been rumored as a possibility, but OBJ may be unable to suit up until November, so the Jefferson situation will not necessarily impact the team’s decision to re-sign Beckham.
In better health-related news for Los Angeles, quarterback Matthew Stafford sounded mostly positive when asked how his arm is feeling after the first week of training camp. The 34-year-old passer did not throw during spring work because of a right elbow injury, but he has been throwing in camp.
“It’s coming along,” Stafford told reporters on Saturday (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “I’m kind of right where I want to be and just continue to get it feeling better. Get it stronger. You just lose those reps through the offseason and [I’m] trying to gain some of those reps back at the moment.”
Rams Have Surprise RG Competitor
- Former UDFA Coleman Shelton started two games for the Rams last season, the only two starts in his three-year career, but Sean McVay said (via ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop, on Twitter) he is in the mix to start at right guard this season. Shelton has worked as a first-team guard and center in practice. The Rams lost Austin Corbett in free agency but also used a third-round pick (which means more to the defending champions than most teams, given their perennial first-round absence) on guard Logan Bruss. The Wisconsin alum joins Shelton and 2020 seventh-rounder Tremayne Anchrum (12 career games; zero starts) in competition to replace Corbett.
Latest On Aaron Donald’s Playing Future
Among the many moves made this offseason by the Rams was a re-working of Aaron Donald‘s contract. No new years were added to his existing pact, but the future Hall of Famer received a record-setting raise in the process. 
That provided more clarity on Donald’s immediate playing future – something which was in question especially after the Rams won the Super Bowl, and has been speculated on in conjunction with that of head coach Sean McVay. Recent comments from the d-lineman confirm that their football fates are in fact intertwined.
When asked if he still would have played in 2022 had McVay stepped aside in favor of a broadcasting role, Donald said (via NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack), “not at all. I told Sean when he first got here. We came up with some things early and I first told him as long as he’s the head coach here, I want to continue to build my legacy with him. As long as he’s here and I got the ability to still play at a high level, I’m going to be here.”
McVay will coach for at least the upcoming season, though progress is being made on an extension which will keep him in the fold for several years beyond that. The end of his Rams tenure could very easily be the end of Donald’s as well, though, as he also said, “when [McVay’s] gone and it’s all said and done, that probably will be when I’m hanging it up, too.”
Donald, 31, is under contract for another two years, but he has hardly slowed down with age. Now the league’s highest-paid non-QB under his new deal, he is set to earn $95MM over that term. McVay is likewise in line for a raise when his extension is finalized, setting the pair up to continue the success they have enjoyed together. How long they will remain in their current positions will be a consistent storyline in the short- and medium-term future.
Latest On Sean McVay Contract Talks
The Rams’ Super Bowl win came amidst questions regarding Sean McVay’s future on the sidelines. Those have been put to rest in the short-term, but his contract status remains an important talking point for the defending champions. 
Part of the speculation surrounding the 36-year-old’s intentions sprung from the possibility that he would walk away from the sidelines in favor of a media career. As he recounted recently, conversations with quarterback Matt Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp helped convince him to remain in the position which has delivered unprecedented success.
“It was really when those guys came in, and I could see how genuine and authentic it was,” McVay said, via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “That was when I looked them in the eye and said, I’m not doing that” in reference to leaving the team to pursue a media role. “I think more than anything, all the emotions that are released when you’re able to [win a Super Bowl], and you’ve got other opportunities, it’s like… ‘that’s an exciting option.’
“But when you really sit down and think about it, the things I love most about coaching… it’s the amount of people that would potentially be affected… I love coaching. I love working with guys. I love being in the foxhole with the players and coaches. And you can’t mimic and emulate that in a media job.”
McVay’s current deal runs through 2023, but he has long been expected to receive an extension (along with, presumably, a significant raise from his $8.5MM salary). Finalizing a new contract this offseason was essentially deemed an inevitability in March by COO Kevin Demoff. That still hasn’t happened yet, but progress is being made.
McVay is presently feeling “really good” about contract talks, adding that he considers it “more than likely” his extension will be hammered out before the start of the season (Twitter links via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop). Not surprisingly, he adds that the term on his new deal will align with that of GM Les Snead; the two signed joint extensions in 2019.
The Rams have taken care of the contracts for several notable players, including Stafford, Kupp and Aaron Donald already this offseason. More work remains on that front, but the team’s head coach and general manager should be on the books for the foreseeable future by the time their title defense commences.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/22
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Duke Dawson
Chicago Bears
- Activated from active/PUP list: DL Sam Kamara
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Jets): S Jovante Moffatt
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Quandre Mosely
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/NFI list: WR Sammy Watkins
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Randy Ramsey, OL Rasheed Walker
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Caeveon Patton
- Released: DE Bryan Cox Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: K Elliott Fry
- Waived: K Andrew Mevis
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Trey Ragas
- Waived/injured: RB Xavier Jones
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Josh Hammond
- Activated from active/PUP list: C David Andrews, P Jake Bailey
New York Jets
- Waived: LB Javin White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Tomasi Laulile
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Bug Howard
- Waived: P Sterling Hofrichter
- Activated from active/PUP list: G Sadarius Hutcherson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Shakur Brown
Signed as a UDFA shortly after the draft, Mevis fared rather poorly in a Thursday workout. The rookie kicker missed badly on three warmup kicks, one of which drilling ex-Cowboys HC Dave Campo (of Hard Knocks 2002 fame), per ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. Mevis had struggled during the start of Jaguars camp. This is Fry’s seventh NFL team since he entered the league in 2019. The workout-circuit regular has played in three regular-season games — one-offs with the Falcons, Bengals and Chiefs. The Jags also have kicker Ryan Santoso on their roster.
A hamstring injury, sustained during a workout shortly after a flight to Green Bay, sidelined Watkins for the start of Packers camp. The veteran will try to shake a well-earned injury-prone label in Green Bay, though the former top-five pick’s roster spot may not be 100% secure. Andrews, who returned in 2020 after missing all of the 2019 season due to blood clots, underwent offseason shoulder surgery. He is back for a seventh season as the Patriots’ starting center.