The Detroit Lions have one of the best quarterback situations in the league with Jared Goff under center. He has been as reliable an option for Detroit as he has been a thorn in the side of opposing defenses throughout the league over his time with the Lions, starting every game he has appeared in.
While things have been going about as well as any Lions fan can ask for about their leader in the huddle, the same cannot be said about the franchise employing former Detroit star Matthew Stafford. The Los Angeles Rams appear to have a real problem on their hands entering the 2025 season concerning Stafford's overall health, as this is the time of year when teams want their QB1 to be as close to 100% as possible.
Unfortunately, the aggravated disk in Stafford's back, which has forced him to miss all of the team's training camp practices to this point, is still bothering the former Lions star to the point where he cannot even get individual work done on the side while the rest of the team practices, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com.
QB Matthew Stafford is in street clothes and doesn’t appear to be practicing today. Sean McVay previously said the plan was for Stafford to participate individual drills today.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) August 11, 2025
Ex-Lions QB Matt Stafford Keeps Throwing Rams Curveballs in Preseason
On Monday, Stafford was held out of pre-planned individual drills and wasn't even in uniform while Los Angeles conducted its training camp practice, as noted by Barshop. For Stafford and head coach Sean McVay to be on different pages regarding what the signal caller can and cannot do during practice, something isn't adding up.
Stafford still has time to figure things out and work his way back to the practice field. That window of time shrinks with every passing day, though. With Los Angeles just a handful of days away from its second preseason game of the exhibition season, a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Rams' QB1 appears no closer to taking the field than he was at the start of camp.
While Stetson Bennett IV took all of the snaps in Los Angeles' victory over the Dallas Cowboys in its preseason opener, Jimmy Garoppolo is also on the roster and will likely be called upon to take snaps in the preseason as early as this weekend when the Rams meet the Chargers.
This past season, Garoppolo started for Los Angeles during its Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Despite coming out on the losing side of the equation, Garoppolo put together a solid performance, completing 27/41 attempts for 331 yards and two touchdown passes with one interception.
Depending on just how long it takes for Stafford to reach the point where he is comfortable practicing individually, let alone in an 11-on-11 setting, Los Angeles can reassess how it will approach the QB1 position at the appropriate time. Once that happens, Stafford will undoubtedly be tagged in as the starter for the Rams.
In the meantime, however, Garoppolo appears to have the opportunity to show his worth to the rest of the league with Stafford sidelined. Garoppolo is signed to a one-year, $3.05 million deal for the 2025 season. So, he is certainly very interested in doing what he can to raise the rate on that next contract, wherever it may come from.
The best way to do that is to be effective when called upon. Garoppolo now appears to have that chance, albeit for a what could be a short while. Fans will have to wait and see what he does with that opportunity, as the news on Stafford's health continues to be more negative than positive.