Jimmy

Garoppolo

Per Jackson, the Dolphins are interested in adding a veteran quarterback who will “be a good sport about being No. 2" behind Quinn Ewers if that’s how it plays out. He also lays out that they are interested in Malik Willis at “a certain unknown price point.” It sounds like the Dolphins are going to have a brutal year of taking their medicine on the Tua Tagovailoa contract. An Ewers/Garoppolo quarterback competition would be a tough scene.

New head coach Mike LaFleur is apparently close enough to Garoppolo to get a “that’s his guy” from a league source. We’re not sure that a 35-year-old who has started one game in the last two seasons and was picked off nine times in 169 dropbacks in 2023 is the right addition for the state of the Cardinals quarterback room. But, on the other hand, it’s LaFleur’s guy, and he did just defend hiring Nathaniel Hackett.

Garoppolo hasn’t needed to throw a pass all year, which is funny given how concerned we all were about Matthew Stafford’s back in August. Garoppolo popped up on the injury report as a DNP with this back injury on Thursday, though Sean McVay said he “expects” Garoppolo to play. Stetson Bennett would be Stafford’s backup if Garoppolo is inactive Sunday.

The Rams, per Rapoport, are going to take it slowly with Stafford, who is struggling with a chronic back injury that required an epidural earlier this summer and kept him sidelined for much of training camp. Stafford reportedly threw around 20 passes upon his return to practice on Monday. It remains to be seen whether Stafford, 37, will practice again this week. If Stafford is a no-go for early in the season, Jimmy Garoppolo will take over as LA’s starter — a less-than-ideal situation for Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.

Our national nightmare is over. After refusing on Saturday to say if Stafford worked out as planned, the Rams’ QB1 took to the field in full pads and jersey on Monday, looking ready for his first taste of training camp practice. Stafford has been dealing with a back injury for weeks and, at one point, had an epidural to help with the pain. Stafford has endured numerous injuries throughout his 16-year career, including multiple back injuries. Head coach Sean McVay said last week that part of Stafford’s absence last week was due to function and pain tolerance, which doesn’t seem great. The Rams are going to do what they can to have Stafford ready for the season, but we wouldn’t assume he’s a lock to start Week 1 until we see how he progresses in the coming weeks. If he’s unable to go at any point in the season, Jimmy Garoppolo would take the reins at QB1.

Similar to what he did last weekend, Stafford was scheduled to work out before Saturday’s preseason game to test the back injury that has sidelined him throughout training camp. The same spokesperson also said head coach Sean McVay would address the situation on Monday, leaving us to wonder what the next report in this saga could entail. Stafford was unable to practice last week despite plans for him to return to the field on Monday, and now the team is being cagey about his Saturday workout after publicizing it the previous week. It’s worth reminding folks that the Rams decided earlier this week that backup Jimmy Garoppolo would not play in the second preseason game, which may or may not prove meaningful in the coming days. This remains a situation to monitor.

The Ammortal Chamber awaits Stafford for another day, apparently. With every day that passes sans Stafford practicing, we get a little more concerned that he won’t be ready for the opener. Jimmy Garoppolo is Los Angeles’ backup quarterback. We’ll continue to monitor what Sean McVay called a “flexible and fluid” situation on Stafford’s back.

It’s an incredibly vague response from McVay, who indicated over the weekend that Stafford would return to the field after going through a successful workout on Saturday. Instead, Stafford was spotted in street clothes on Monday and was also seen walking into an Ammortal chamber that specializes as a “wellness device that aims to optimize human performance and promote holistic health through a combination of non-invasive technologies.” So there’s that. McVay said surgery has not been talked about as an option for Stafford, but said his quarterback “didn’t feel good enough” to be on the field on Monday. There’s no way to know at this time if Stafford will or will not be available for Week 1, but there’s certainly reason to be skeptical. Like the Rams, we will also remain “flexible and fluid” with all news involving Stafford, and will check back in with any updates as they come. In the event Stafford is unavailable for any part of the regular season, Jimmy Garoppolo would be the favorite to draw starts.

It was reported late last week that Stafford could practice on Monday if his workout before Saturday’s preseason game went well. Stafford reportedly threw 60-plus passes in the workout and looked good, paving the way for a return to the field on Monday. Stafford will have just under four weeks to ramp things up for Week 1 when the Rams play host to the Texans. While it sounds like he’s trending in the right direction, it will be worth monitoring reports out of camp to see if his back responds well to the recovery and epidural he received to help mitigate the issue. If for some reason Stafford can’t play in the season opener, Jimmy Garoppolo would be the favorite to open Week 1.

Rapoport said Stafford, who has been sidelined for weeks while dealing with the lingering back issue, has received an epidural for the discomfort of the injury. Stafford, according to Rapoport, “plans” to suit up for Week 1 against the Texans, who sport one of the NFL’s best pass rushes. Rams head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that Stafford, 37, has “been able to kind of increase some things behind the scenes” and that the QB is making progress. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, meanwhile, insists Stafford’s absence from Rams camp is nothing more than a “maintenance issue.” If it’s something more than that, we could see Jimmy Garoppolo under center for LA come Week 1.