The Los Angeles Rams had quite a successful offseason. Other than losing Von Miller, it was pretty much a slam dunk by the reigning Super Bowl champions, who look poised to be the team to beat in the NFC again this season.
However, this is a quarterbacks' league, and the Rams know better than anybody else that they need a reliable guy behind center to get things done. That's why the latest updates on Matthew Stafford have to be worrisome.
The former Detroit Lions star won't participate in team drills until further notice. He's dealing with a 'very bad tendinitis' and has an 'abnormal' elbow injury for a quarterback, according to HC Sean McVay.
NFL News: Rams Worried Over Matthew Stafford's 'Abnormal' Elbow Pain
"It's a little bit abnormal for a quarterback, some of this stuff is things that MLB pitchers deal with, so it is something that we're kind of learning about on the fly and his feedback," McVay said. "We're really trying to just figure out, 'OK, how do we get the best plan in place to try to minimize some of the things that he was having to push through,' while also giving him the confidence that, 'Hey, I can really just, let it go, not have to worry about it, play to the best of my ability.'"
"The goal is to try to get him to feel as good as possible, especially when you're talking about something with that throwing elbow, and this is the plan that we feel best about, but it is something that I've never navigated through as a coach with a quarterback," McVay added. "You've had little elbow things here and there, but this is something that we want to be as smart as possible, and it's taken a big team to try to do that."
McVay added that Stafford is looking forward to being on the field, but the team will continue assessing his status for the next couple of weeks at the very least. This isn't what the reigning champs wanted to hear as they look to defend their crown.