The Los Angeles Rams continue to suggest Matthew Stafford will be back on the field soon. He's supposed to work out Saturday in his comeback from a nagging back injury.
Except, Stafford was already supposed to get back on the field, and then it didn't happen. So it's hard to know just how bad things are for the veteran QB right now.
One action by the Rams might reveal everything their fans need to know, though.
Earlier this week, L.A. announced that Jimmy Garoppolo won't play at all in the preseason.
With everyone healthy, Garoppolo is QB2, the talented veteran backing up Stafford.
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But now? It sure looks like the Rams want to make sure absolutely nothing happens to Garoppolo. It definitely invites doubt as to whether Stafford will be ready for Week 1.
Garoppolo is close to as good a backup as a team could have, so it could be worse. But it's also not ideal, and the Rams clearly know that. They'd want Garoppolo to get reps if it didn't run the risk of leaving them down two QBs in the opening weeks of the season.
Jimmy G is 32 years old now, a long time since he was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2014 out of Eastern Illinois.
Since then, he's been a part of two Super Bowl champions.
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Garoppolo has started 64 NFL games, with a 43-21 record. He has thrown 96 touchdowns to 52 interceptions, and he's got a 67.4% completion percentage.
All told, he spent three seasons in New England, six in San Francisco, one with the Raiders and last year with the Rams.
On the bright side, Garoppolo is likely experienced enough to be ready to go Week 1 (if needed) even without preseason game reps.
But it's not a situation the Rams want to be in, and right now, there are many more questions than answers. Choosing to sit out Jimmy G the rest of the preseason, though, might turn out to be rather telling.
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