Stafford sits as precaution, will practice next week

Despite dealing with hamstring tightness, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to practice next week, head coach Sean McVay said Thursday.

Stafford left Wednesday’s joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys as a precaution and did not take part in the Thursday’s jog through.

“He just felt a little something, so we’re just being smart with him,” McVay said. “That’s really what it came to.”

On Thursday, backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took the reps in Stafford’s place. Garoppolo, who signed with the Rams in March, is suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

Neither Stafford nor Garoppolo will play in the preseason. Third-string quarterback Stetson Bennett started the preseason opener against the Cowboys, throwing four interceptions before leading the team to the game-winning touchdown.

In 15 games last season, Stafford completed 62.6% of his passes for 3,965 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.