Last season, Matthew Stafford played through injury issues and still delivered an MVP-level season. But the Los Angeles Rams are not planning to take any chances in 2026.

According to an ESPN report, Rams head coach Sean McVay wants to continue carefully managing Stafford’s workload to keep him at his best.

During a recent interview with ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, McVay discussed how the Los Angeles Rams plan to handle Matthew Stafford heading into the 2026 season after the veteran dealt with injury concerns last offseason. 

“[During] training camp [last year], we learned some stuff where you're saying, ‘OK, what can we apply even though that wasn't necessarily by design that can allow [Matthew Stafford] to be at his best?’” the Rams HC said.

McVay added that the Rams are now planning to carry a similar mindset into the offseason as well.

“We haven't gotten to that, but we are going to take a similar approach to the offseason. He has a real strict regimen that he's already on, and the ownership and autonomy that he has is exactly what we wanted to be able to keep going. That's why it was important.”

McVay also said the Rams will give Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett IV more work in training camp and preseason so Stafford can rest more.

"Being able to add another quarterback into the mix [in Simpson] allows us to operate in a manner where you're saying, 'Hey, what's the priority? How do we keep our guy feeling as good as possible and being able to do that without allowing it to fall off too much?'" McVay added during his comments.

"That was where [former backup Jimmy Garoppolo] was so valuable last year in the absence of Matthew during training camp," he concluded.

The comments come after Stafford dealt with what is reported to be an aggravated disc issue ahead of the 2025 season. The QB reportedly required “epidurals to aid in dealing with the injury” and was unable to start practicing until the middle of August. 

However, the Rams managed Stafford carefully through the injury, and he still put together an MVP-winning season in 2025. Even with the missed practice time before the season, he remained one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks.

Heading into 2026, keeping Stafford healthy through the season may be a bigger challenge for the Rams. 

Rams’ Workload Plan Faces Bigger Challenge in 2026 

After the results Matthew Stafford put forth in 2025, the Rams have little reason to change their approach. With Los Angeles still looking like one of the stronger prospects in the NFC, the team is expected to keep managing its QB1's workload through the season.

But the 2026 schedule makes that harder. The Rams will play seven primetime games, which means more high-pressure matchups for Stafford across the season.

They also have an international game, which adds travel and less recovery time in the middle of the year. The bye week comes in the middle of the season, but the games around it still look packed.

Late in the season, the schedule gets even tougher. The Rams will face the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Eve and then quickly move into another short-week game with very little rest in between.

The Rams will have to be careful with Stafford all year. But if they manage him well, there's a good chance they will stay in the Super Bowl race.

What do you think about the Rams continuing this plan for Stafford in 2026? Let us know in the comments section.

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Written by

Divyanshi Raj

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit