Matthew Stafford (hamstring) returns to team drills at Rams practice

Matthew Stafford felt some tightness in his hamstring during practice last week, causing the Rams to shut him down for a few days. He returned to practice on Monday, but that was in a limited capacity and only included individual drills.

The veteran quarterback continued to make progress Tuesday, being upgraded to a full participant in practice. He took part in team drills, which was the next step in his brief rehab process.

It’s an encouraging sign for Stafford and the Rams, leaving no doubt about whether he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season in two-plus weeks.

Sean McVay said Monday that the team is being smart with Stafford so as not to risk further injury, knowing he has plenty of time to recover. He apparently won’t need the next two weeks to get back to 100% because he’s already back at practice in a full capacity.

Next on the schedule is Thursday’s joint practice with the Texans in Houston. If Stafford is a full-go in that session, there should be no further questions about his health.

As of now, though, it’s to be determined whether he’ll participate in that practice because of the unpredictability that comes with a team-on-team scrimmage.