Matthew Stafford suffers lateral ankle sprain and Rams add former first-round pick

Quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a “little” lateral ankle sprain in the Rams’ victory over the New Orleans Saints, but the injury is not expected to affect his preparation for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, coach Sean McVay said Monday.

“Nothing that’s going to change his weekly rhythm as far as practice,” McVay said during a video conference, adding that Stafford ran Monday as part of the team’s day-after lifting program. “Got it banged up a little bit. He’s tough. He pushes through and he should be good to go.”

Stafford was injured during the second quarter of Sunday’s 21-14 victory in New Orleans when he was taken to the ground while throwing an incomplete pass. Stafford limped immediately after the play but stayed in the game and passed for two second-half touchdowns.

“I need to be faster,” he joked afterward, “and get away from those guys.”

Receiver Demarcus Robinson, who caught a touchdown pass, suffered a hand avulsion, but with a protective pad he should be ready to play against the Bills, McVay said.

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Rams takeaways: Offense finally gets off ground behind running attack against Saints

The Rams were scoreless in the first half, but behind running of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum the offense rallied for three touchdowns to beat the Saints.

Dec. 2, 2024

Also on Monday, the Rams moved to bolster their secondary by claiming cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. off waivers from the Washington Commanders.

Forbes, 23, was the 16th player chosen in the 2023 draft out of Mississippi State. As a rookie under former coach Ron Rivera, Forbes started six games and intercepted one pass.

This season, under new coach Dan Quinn, Forbes played in six games and intercepted one pass.

The Rams were familiar with Forbes from pre-draft evaluations and NFL game tape, McVay said. Forbes, 6 feet and 180 pounds, showed versatility, competitive toughness and ball skills, McVay said.

To make room for Forbes, the Rams waived cornerback Charles Woods. Forbes is now part of a cornerback group that includes Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon and Josh Wallace.