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Matthew Stafford is a polarizing player in the sense that everyone has differing views on the franchise quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. While most people are down on Stafford entering the 2023 season, Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller ranked the veteran signal-caller as the ninth-best quarterback in the NFL.
Stafford was ranked right behind Lamar Jackson, and he was ahead of guys like Dak Prescott and Tua Tagovailoa. Here is Miller’s reasoning for Stafford’s placement in the rankings:
Perhaps forgotten too quickly, it was just two seasons ago that Matthew Stafford guided the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl with an elite level of play. The Rams dealt with some serious offensive line issues and Stafford himself was dealing with injury. There is little reason to doubt one of the most prolific passers in the league won’t jump back into the top ten QBs with a clean bill of health.
After being traded from the Detroit Lions to the Rams in 2021, Stafford immediately delivered a memorable season in Los Angeles. Stafford threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in 2021 en route to leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.
The Rams had a season they want to quickly forget in 2022, with Stafford among the endless number of players on the roster that dealt with injuries. Injuries have been a concern for Stafford during his tenure with the Rams and he’s not getting any younger entering the upcoming season.
That being said, Stafford has participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp this offseason, and he’s said that he’s fully healthy for training camp. It’s tough to have full confidence in Stafford remaining injury-free for the 2023 season, but if he can avoid being sidelined, he’s certainly one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL still.
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