Rams Rumors: Matthew Stafford Dealing with Elbow Injury and 'Chronic' Back Issue

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is reportedly dealing with a "chronic" back injury along with an elbow issue.

"Stafford's arm has been in a lot of pain, he has elbow pain and his back has a chronic issue that he deals with every single day," ESPN's Dianna Russini said on Sunday NFL Countdown (h/t Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com). "His health is certainly an issue."

A back injury limited Stafford to eight appearances in 2019, but he didn't miss a single game in 2020. That isn't to say the 33-year-old was fully healthy, as he later revealed the problems he was dealing with while continuing to play.

Los Angeles fell lucky in training camp when Stafford hit his thumb on a helmet but avoided any structural damage. He has started every game so far in 2021, throwing for 3,014 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The franchise made a big bet on the 2014 Pro Bowler in the hope he was enough of an upgrade over Jared Goff to significantly improve its odds of winning a Super Bowl. Because of that, losing Stafford for any stretch of time would be a setback.

The impact of any absence would be compounded by the fact that John Wolford is the backup quarterback. Wolford went 22-of-38 for 231 yards and one interception in his only start last year.