THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay covered several topics in his first press conference of 2022 organized team activities, from the latest on defensive lineman Aaron Donald, injury updatesm the plan for quarterback Matthew Stafford during OTAs and more.
Here are some of the top takeaways from that conversation:
"Dialogue's been good" with Donald
McVay remains in contact with Donald as the Rams work on a new contract for the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, calling him on Monday to wish him a happy 31st birthday.
"He's done a great job of communicating, with my relationship with him, and gets a chance to spend time with his family right now," McVay said. "Feel good about it."
Taking a cautious approach while managing players' health
Both tight end Jacob Harris and wide receiver Van Jefferson are "doing really well" in their respective injury rehabs, according to McVay.
Overall, there were "a lot" of players that ended up getting injuries that led to the team deciding to take a more patient approach to the offseason. The offseason program was effectively shortened from nine weeks to eight as a result.
As OTAs began Monday, McVay said running back Darrell Henderson Jr. "just got a little soft tissue thing last week." It was the kind of injury Henderson played through during the season "that kind of crept back up," according to McVay.
"Taking it a day at a time" on whether Stafford throws during OTAs
Stafford didn't throw Monday in the first OTA session, but McVay indicated it was part of a plan for ramping him up for closer to training camp. It's a day-by-day approach they're taking.
"The goal and the thought process was, he'll start to ramp that up when we get closer to training camp," McVay said. "He's able to communicate with us how he's feeling, but the plans all along have been, let's really stress above-the-neck, some of the things that we can control a little bit, but be smarter than anything else with him, especially with his experience and his ability to communicate with us."
