Rams QB Matthew Stafford leaves practice with Cowboys early because of hamstring tightness

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford came out of a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday early because of hamstring tightness, a team spokesman said.

Stafford missed approximately the second half of the workout, but the 36-year-old remained on the sideline in pads and did not show any apparent signs of injury during or after the two-hour session.

“(Stafford) operates at a world class level,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “But we know that every rep is going to be valuable for him, no matter how many plays he’s had. Unfortunately, he had some tightness.”

Jimmy Garoppolo worked with the first-team offense in Stafford’s absence, which is valuable because Garoppolo did not play in the preseason opener against the Cowboys on Sunday and is unlikely to do so in the two remaining exhibition games.

Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the regular season for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.

“Anytime you get those ops, particularly against a defense like this with all the players they got, is going to be valuable,” LaFleur said.

Stetson Bennett took Garoppolo’s snaps with the backups three days after he threw four interceptions before leading a last-minute touchdown drive against the Cowboys.

Coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that Bennett would need to show “more body of work” after being away from the team last season to focus on his mental health to secure the No. 2 spot behind Stafford for the games at the Detroit Lions on Sept. 8 and Arizona Cardinals the following week.

“He did some good things, but we got to work on the turnovers, no doubt,” LaFleur said. “But there were a lot of positives for him to be able to get out here and practice.”

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By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press