Matthew Stafford throws passes in Rams’ camp practice opener

IRVINE, Calif. — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw to receivers in practice Sunday for the first time since Los Angeles’ Super Bowl victory.

Stafford had an injection in his throwing elbow early in the offseason to treat an unspecified injury with which he played late last season. He avoided any serious throws during minicamps and organized team activities, but he was throwing again in the opening practice of the Rams’ training camp at UC Irvine.

“It feels good to get out there, just knock some rust off it a little bit, stress it and see how it reacts,” Stafford said.

Stafford said he has gradually ramped up his throwing activity in recent months, and he threw the ball in informal workouts before training camp. Along with the usual camp work, he must build a rapport with new receiver Allen Robinson, who joined Los Angeles as a free agent shortly before the team traded Robert Woods to Tennessee.

“Just trying to progress back into it,” Stafford said. “That was kind of what my time between OTAs and camp was. It’s a little bit of a process, but you’ve just got to sit there and go with it.”

Stafford and the Rams have repeatedly said he should be ready well in advance of Los Angeles’ regular season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 8 at SoFi Stadium. Rams coach Sean McVay typically doesn’t allow his key starters to play at all in the preseason.

McVay also announced Sunday that the Rams decided not to put Jalen Ramsey on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, allowing the All-Pro cornerback to participate in the walk-through portions of training camp practices. Ramsey had surgery on his shoulder during the offseason, and the Rams said Saturday he would start the year on the PUP list.

Rookie safety Quentin Lake is on the PUP list while the team monitors a knee injury, McVay said.

FILE - Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, left, talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford, right, as wide receiver Lance McCutcheon stands by during an NFL football practice Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Rams won the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history, raising the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since returning home to Los Angeles in 2016. Coach Sean McVay's superb first half-decade culminated with an immediate title after the acquisition of Matthew Stafford, who smoothly ran an offense in which Cooper Kupp became the NFL's most prolific receiver and the Super Bowl MVP.

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