Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was removed from practice last week because of a hamstring injury, returned to practice Monday in limited fashion, according to multiple reports.

Stafford was limited to individual drills and side work with wide receivers before turning into an observer for 11-on-11 drills as the Rams play it safe with the 36-year-old’s injury. He was pulled from a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.

“My biggest thing was, wanted to be smart with him,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said Monday. “If there was any sort of sudden movement that set him back, just didn’t think it would be worth it. He’s feeling great. He was obviously very upset at me that he wasn’t practicing today, which is a good thing, that’s what makes him a great competitor.”

The Rams have used a pair of preseason games so far to settle on a backup to Stafford, with Stetson Bennett leading the NFL with 437 passing yards. He also leads the league in preseason play with 41 completions in 69 attempts.

Stafford was named to the second Pro Bowl of his career last season when he completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,965 yards and 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

The Rams went 10-7 in 2023 before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs 24-23 on the road to the Detroit Lions when Stafford was 25 of 36 for 367 yards and two touchdowns against his former team.

The Rams are scheduled to return to Detroit for their Sept. 8 season opener against the Lions in a Sunday Night Football contest.

–Field Level Media