Stafford went through a third full practice Thursday with no restrictions in his movements or throws. Although Stafford and coach Sean McVay didn\u2019t definitively state it, Stafford appears to be in position to play for the Rams in their regular-season opener against Houston on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood thing is I feel pretty good the last couple of days out there practicing,\u201d Stafford said at the Rams\u2019 training complex in Woodland Hills. \u201cWas able to do even a little bit more than I thought I was going to be able to do the first day, and then just been trying to stack days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stafford said he has done \u201ceverything under the sun\u201d to deal with\u00a0an irritated disk in his back<\/a>. The injury developed while he trained after the Rams\u2019 minicamp this summer, and it kept the Super Bowl winner sidelined for the first 3 1\/2 weeks of training camp and the preseason.<\/p>\n Stafford returned to practice Monday\u00a0initially planning to do only individual drills, but he was pleasantly surprised by his ability to do everything with relative ease. He participated in another full practice Thursday, throwing to his teammates against a live pass rush while building the chemistry necessary to compete in the regular season, particularly with new receiver Davante Adams.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely felt more like myself out there today,\u201d Stafford said. \u201cI\u2019m going to do everything I can to be out there while still being smart and knowing, hey, we\u2019ve got something that deserves a little attention.\u201d<\/p>\n McVay was clearly encouraged by Stafford\u2019s progress during the week. Stafford participated in every aspect of every practice, the coach said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks like the stud that we know,\u201d McVay said. \u201cI think the first day was kind of getting comfortable, just getting his feet wet a little bit, and then I think each of the last couple of days, he\u2019s played really fast.\u201d<\/p>\n The 37-year-old Stafford\u2019s balky back has been one of the Rams\u2019 two major injury concerns \u2014 along with the blood clots sidelining left tackle Alaric Jackson \u2014 as the defending NFC West champions prepare to begin a season with Super Bowl aspirations.<\/p>\n Stafford watched training camp from the sideline at Loyola Marymount when he wasn\u2019t going through rehab work and off-field treatment. He did individual workouts on the days of\u00a0the Rams\u2019 first two preseason games, but he didn\u2019t get back into practice until Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I see, there\u2019s no restrictions and he\u2019s playing at a really high level,\u201d McVay said. \u201cI\u2019m very excited and optimistic, but I\u2019m not a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n Even after initially stating that Stafford would only miss the first week of training camp, McVay repeatedly said he thought Stafford\u2019s injury wasn\u2019t serious enough to keep him out if the Rams had been playing games that counted.<\/p>\n The coach finally seemed less certain of Stafford\u2019s sturdiness last week when\u00a0the quarterback had to scrap his plan\u00a0to rejoin practices because his back wasn\u2019t up to it \u2014 only for Stafford to exceed his own expectations in practice this week.<\/p>\n \u201cBacks are sometimes interesting things,\u201d Stafford said. \u201cIt\u2019s not cut-and-dried what\u2019s what, and how you\u2019re going to feel.\u201d<\/p>\n Stafford is one of many Rams veterans who won\u2019t travel to Cleveland this weekend for their final preseason game. McVay said fourth-stringer Dresser Winn will start against the Browns after Stetson Bennett played well while taking nearly all of the snaps in Los Angeles\u2019 first two preseason games.<\/p>\n Rookie QB Milroe to play all of Seahawks\u2019 preseason finale<\/a><\/p>\n
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