With a sprained right thumb, quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Rams will not practice on Wednesday, but head coach Sean McVay would not rule him out of Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Before practice, McVay remarked, “You give him up until right before the game.”
If Stafford is not able to play, Brett Rypien will get the start.
Dresser Winn, a quarterback, was added by the Rams to the practice squad on Wednesday. Winn participated in training camp and offseason exercises with the Rams.
According to McVay, Winn was signed by the Rams due to his knowledge with the team’s scheme. John Wolford, a former backup, was promoted to the active roster by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although the Rams had considered taking him off their practice squad.
According to McVay, the Rams did not consider trading for a quarterback.
Following Stafford’s injury sustained during a 43–20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Rypien took his place. Rypien gained 42 yards while completing five of ten throws.
“He’s one of those guys that you can see he’s a pro’s pro,” McVay said. “He’s always preparing himself as if he understands that there’s one situation, or he’s one snap away, from having to go into the game.”
Stafford, 35, has more than 14 seasons of NFL experience and a unique arm talent.
With the Denver Broncos for eight of his nine games as a professional, Rypien is a fourth-year player.
What impact would Rypien having the starting job versus the Packers have on McVay’s play calling?
“You know that Matthew is a unique player that can do so many special things — it’s why he’s got the resumé throughout the course of his career, it’s why he is who is,” McVay said. “And so, to say that you can operate exactly the same way, I think that would be a little silly, but we do have confidence in Brett to be able to operate our offense.”
As they prepare for their penultimate game before a bye week, the Rams, who are 3-5, have lost their last two games.
The Rams did not make any trades by the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. In the meantime, quarterback Josh Dobbs was traded by the Arizona Cardinals, defensive lineman Leonard Williams was acquired by the Seattle Seahawks, and edge rusher Chase Young was acquired by the San Francisco 49ers.
What long-term effects will those actions have on the Rams?
“Not in the least bit,” McVay said, adding, “The nature of some of the situations with us in general … limited in terms of, all right, going out and actually bringing people in.
“I feel good about this. I feel good about a lot of the things that we’re capable of doing. Obviously, we’re not pleased with where we’re at through eight games but I can see through, and I see a lot of light. … That’s where you feel really excited about this opportunity this week, get the bye and then you come back for the last eight games and see what we can do with it where there’s a lot of football left to be played.”
For the Los Angeles Times, Gary Klein covers the Los Angeles Rams. He covered USC’s sports department and football program prior to that. He started off as a reporter for The Times in the San Fernando Valley edition and has covered collegiate, professional, and high school athletics. After attending Cal State Northridge, he graduated from high school in Southern California.