Aaron Donald stood on the sideline Wednesday looking fit enough to immediately come out of retirement and play for the Rams.
A few yards away, 36-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford stood apart from the action, apparent hamstring tightness shortening his day during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard.
Even if it was only a twinge, it was enough for the Rams to shut down Stafford. The 16th-year pro participated in three series before Jimmy Garoppolo took over the first-team offense and Stetson Bennett worked with the second unit.
Stafford was scheduled to speak with reporters on Wednesday but he was not made available after the two-hour workout. Rams coach Sean McVay was not scheduled to speak with reporters.
But pulling Stafford from practice said it all.
Less than a month before the season opener at Detroit, McVay cannot afford to take chances.
He already is wrestling with the fact that star receiver Puka Nacua is sidelined because of a knee injury. And starting offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Jonah Jackson and Rob Havenstein remain out because of injuries.
There has been no indication that any of those starters will not be available for the Sept. 8 opener.
But if the Rams aren’t pushing for their return, they certainly are going to handle Stafford delicately, especially with their current back-up quarterback situation.
Garoppolo is suspended for the first two regular-season games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. Bennett is coming off last Sunday’s four-interception performance in a 13-12 preseason victory over the Cowboys.
Garoppolo did not play in the game against the Cowboys, and it seems unlikely that McVay would put him at risk in Saturday’s game against the Chargers or the preseason finale against the Houston Texans.
So the opportunity to work with the first-team offense on Wednesday was something of a rare chance for the Rams to evaluate the 11th-year pro with starters.
“Any time you get those opps, particularly against a defense like this with all the players that they got, is going to be valuable,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said of Garoppolo. “So I know, again, there’s going to be a lot of things to clean up from everyone across the board, but I like the way he stepped in there and operated.”
LaFleur also said that Bennett corrected some of the mistakes he made last Sunday before tossing a game-tying touchdown pass against the Cowboys.
On Wednesday, the Rams offense had a few moments, but it was mainly a day for the starting defense to redeem itself.
In last Thursday’s joint-practice with the Cowboys, the Rams struggled against quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Brandin Cooks. A week later, rookie edge rusher Jared Verse, second-year edge rusher Byron Young and veteran linebacker Ernest Jones led a spirited unit that “bounced back, communicated and played well,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.
Verse went down briefly — “scared us a little bit,” Shula said — but he finished the practice.
Donald, a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, looked on and offered tips to players such as rookie tackle Braden Fiske.
“I know he’s in a great spot — such a great career — and he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants right now,” Shula said of Donald. “So he’s welcome back anytime. Anytime he wants to come coach and come help out he knows the door is always open.”
Etc.
The Rams signed defensive lineman Carlos Watkins, a seven-year veteran who has played for the Houston Texans, Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Watkins, 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, has started 37 games and has six sacks. In 2021, he started 14 games for the Cowboys and had five tackles for losses. The addition of Watkins came after rotational lineman Larrell Murchison suffered an arm injury during last Sunday against the Cowboys. End Desjuan Johnson is also out because of an unspecified injury…. Second-year pro Warren McClendon Jr. played left tackle and Joe Noteboom played right tackle.