Rams Thursday training camp notes: Actually Matthew Stafford’s arm looks just fine

The Los Angeles Rams were back at practice on Thursday and all eyes were set to be on John Wolford and Matthew Stafford. It turns out that if Stafford’s arm is in pain, it’s not bad enough for him to complete all the deep passes expected of one of the NFL’s best deep passers.

Read: Rams Wednesday camp notes

Despite reports on Thursday and this week that Stafford’s going through “bad tendonitis” in his throwing arm elbow, it seemed like every other tweet from a Rams reporter in practice was of Stafford hitting a different receiver downfield.

If Stafford is in pain, he’s doing his best to hide it.

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More on Stafford, Jacob Harris suffering an injury on Thursday, and Tutu Atwell’s continued breakout campaign at wide receiver below. Listen to our podcast episode on previewing the Rams 2022 preseason schedule and why Stafford could head for ‘load management’ right here.

Matthew Stafford to Tutu Atwell

The play of the day belongs to Stafford and Tutu Atwell. Sean McVay has praised Atwell all summer during his second tour of duty in the NFL and with Van Jefferson out for a while, Tutu could get offensive snaps as early as Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.

Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp

Kupp had a veteran rest day, but was on the sidelines and showed up to catch one from Stafford.

Stafford to Ben Skowronek

Skowronek is battling Tutu for targets and he could be the next man up in L.A.’s offense. He was at the end of last season, including five targets in the Super Bowl. We haven’t talked much about Skowronek, but he should be a lock for the final roster.

Stafford to Allen Robinson

The usual day for Allen Robinson in training camp so far. He’s been dominant.

John Wolford to Robinson

Wolford is back in with the 1s and these reps should help prepare Wolford in the worst case scenario. That’s why I ranked Wolford in my top-20 Rams despite being a backup. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue noted that Ernest Jones had a good read on Wolford, but then Wolford found Tyler Higbee for a touchdown.

Cam Akers sighting

We haven’t talked much about Cam Akers and we probably won’t until September 8th when he starts against the Bills.

Decobie Durant shows up on Thursday

The Rams have to be elated with early returns on Decobie Durant and Derion Kendrick, two of their four secondary players drafted in 2022. Durant and Kendrick should both be in the mix to start in 2023.

Jacob Harris out with groin strain

Sean McVay notes that receiver Jacob Harris could be out a couple of weeks with a groin strain. It would be hard to believe that Harris is in danger of being cut but the competition at receiver is intense and Harris may not even be that close to being able to contribute on game day. After a year of mostly working with tight ends, he’s also relatively new to the group. The Rams signed former UDFA Austin Trammell as support at wideout.

Tutu Atwell show, continued

Why any Rams fans would want to root against Tutu Atwell or insist on a daily reminder that he is the lightest receiver in the NFL or that he was injured as a rookie, I have no idea. If Atwell pans out, even partially, he will be a fan favorite. Why not root for a Rams player to become a Rams fan favorite and see how the future unfolds? He didn’t play receiver in high school, he’s a raw prospect with a ton of upside, he was not expected to contribute as a rookie, most rookies fail to see the field, and Atwell has been praised by coaches ALL offseason.

To expect Atwell to fail because you expected it to happen on draft day is selfish. To expect Atwell to surprise you, even if you felt that he wasn’t the best pick, is selfless.

It’s that simple!