offseason workout

It’s become a near-annual tradition.

The Rams report to training camp with quarterback Matthew Stafford’s status somewhat uncertain.

Stafford, entering his 17th season, will be held out of most workouts this week because of back soreness, coach Sean McVay announced Tuesday at Loyola Marymount. McVay added that Stafford would be eased back into practices during the second block of workouts and said he’s confident Stafford will be ready for the season.

“If he was a first-year player, then I think you’d say, ‘Man, every rep really matters,’” McVay said. “I think the important thing is having a big-picture perspective with a guy going into year 17.”

This is the third time in four years that Stafford’s situation cast a cloud over the Rams as they reported for camp.

In 2022, after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title, Stafford received an injection in his right elbow and did not throw passes during offseason workouts. He was limited during training camp but was ready for the season. Stafford, however, suffered a midseason spinal injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season as the injury-ravaged Rams went on to experience the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history.

Last year, McVay experienced anxiety and delayed his camp-opening news conference because Stafford delayed his arrival until a contract impasse was settled. The issue was resolved a few hours later, and Stafford went on to lead the Rams to the NFC divisional round.

During the spring, the Rams and Stafford resolved another contract issue, seemingly paving the way for a worry-free start of training camp.

McVay said the Rams had planned to take a “modified approach” with Stafford before the back issue came to light.

“We’ll allow him to just work kind of off to the side on his own, get himself as good as possible and then he’ll be ready for Block 2,” McVay said.

But regardless of how McVay characterizes it, Stafford’s back will be an issue as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans.

Rams running back Kyren Williams speaks to reporters after arriving at Rams training camp at Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

During the interim, veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to take first-team snaps. Stetson Bennett and Dresser Winn are other quarterbacks on the roster.

“When you have a quality player like Jimmy that can step in, now you don’t feel like the team is totally punished either,” McVay said, adding, “We know how special Matthew is but it’s a blessing to have a player like Jimmy to be able to come in.”

Stafford is not the only returning starter who will be limited or sidelined.

Left tackle Alaric Jackson, who signed a three-year contract that includes $35 million in guarantees during the offseason, is out indefinitely because of blood clot issues. The Rams signed veteran DJ Humphries to fill the void.

“We are going to take it a day at a time with something of this nature,” McVay said of Jackson, “I do feel good about the plan we have in place that hopefully leads to him being able to go out there and compete with his teammates.”

Running back Kyren Williams said he would be a full participant in workouts. Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and his agent has been in talks with the Rams about a possible extension.

McVay said the Rams were scheduled to meet with Williams’ agent on Wednesday.

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Warm, breezy and feeling good.

That was the prevailing feeling among the Rams this week as they ended their off season with a “Mauicamp,” a low-key event heavy on bonding and light on drills for a team expected to contend for a championship.

Star quarterback Matthew Stafford is under contract for another potential Super Bowl run.

The Rams also added star receiver Davante Adams, drafted tight end Terrance Ferguson and bolstered depth to an ascending defensive front.

The Rams, however, have areas of concern as they head into a break before reporting to training camp at Loyola Marymount in July.

Offensive tackle and cornerback could be vulnerabilities for a team aiming to improve upon last season’s 10-7 record and an NFC divisional round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Here’s how confident the Rams were in those positions going into free agency and the draft: They did not sign or select a player at either spot.

Whether that was wise is another matter.

Stafford, 37, remains the Rams’ most important player and — other than coach Sean McVay — their most valuable asset. So the tackles must foil edge rushers hellbent on hitting the quarterback while playing perhaps the most pressure-packed position other than Stafford’s.

With his play last season, Alaric Jackson convinced the Rams he was their longtime solution at left tackle. They awarded him a three-year contract that included $35 million in guarantees.

But uncertainty now reigns. Jackson sat out the final week of offseason workouts because he is dealing with blood-clot issues for the second time in his career. If, or when, he will be able to practice and play is unknown.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes during organized team activities on June 3.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The Rams hurriedly signed D.J. Humphries, but the veteran is of late something of an unknown quantity. He played only two games last season for the Kansas City Chiefs after returning from major 2023 knee surgery and then suffering a hamstring injury.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein, 33, is entering his 11th season and the final year of his contract. He is coming off two shoulder surgeries.

Swing tackle Warren McClendon Jr. started five games last season, but he has not established himself as a frontline player. The Rams also recently signed eight-year pro David Quessenberry, who made 17 of his career 30 starts in 2021.

The Rams are confident in the secondary — in large part because of the defensive front.

A rush led by rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske helped the Rams rank 20th among 32 teams in pass defense last season. That rush is expected to improve with the addition of tackle Poona Ford and rookie edge rusher Josaiah Stewart.

So the Rams stood pat with the same defensive backs from last season.

Cornerback Darious Williams, 32, does not have salary guarantees beyond this season, according to Overthecap.com. Ahkello Witherspoon, 30, is playing on a one-year deal for the third consecutive season but was signed early enough this time to participate in offseason workouts.

Cobie Durant is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is trying to prove that the Washington Commanders erred by releasing the 2023 first-round pick last season.

Derion Kendrick, coming off a knee injury that forced him to sit out the 2024 season, was waived last week in a cost-cutting move and then re-signed with the Rams for a veteran-minimum contract. Josh Wallace and Charles Woods, undrafted free agents in 2024, also are on the roster.

McVay this week indicated that there were probably too many obstacles to trade for Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the three-time All-Pro who was an integral part of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team.

Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander was recently released by the Green Bay Packers, but McVay said last week that was “not a direction” the Rams would go. Alexander signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the Rams’ Week 6 opponent.

While the NFL largely shuts down until the start of training camp, general manager Les Snead in the past has added players before it opens and after it begins.

But for now, with their Hawaiian excursion behind them, the Rams appear ready to go with what they’ve got.

The Rams did not draft an offensive lineman, but they have added a veteran just before the end of offseason workouts.

The Rams on Thursday agreed to terms with veteran free-agent offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

The person requested anonymity because the contract has not been signed.

Humphries, a 2015 first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, joins a line that includes starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, right tackle Rob Havenstein and swing tackle Warren McClendon Jr.

Humphries, 31, played eight seasons for the Cardinals before sustaining a major knee injury near the end of the 2023 season.

Last season, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he sustained a hamstring injury in his first game back in Week 14 and played in only two regular-season games.