Matthew Stafford finally practices, but Rams won’t play him

In what was apparently the Rams’ final practice before their long, once-postponed goodbye to Thousand Oaks, star quarterback Matthew Stafford reintroduced himself to the huddle.

Stafford, sidelined from team drills for nearly all three practices with a hamstring issue, led the offense Tuesday for the first time in nearly a week.

Stafford, 36, shared first-team reps with Jimmy Garoppolo and finished the practice with a play-action guard that he punctuated with a run around the right end.

“He did his own thing there,” coach Sean McVay said. “That wasn’t the call. It looked pretty good.”

Stafford’s uneventful return allowed the Rams to breathe a sigh of relief.

McVay had described Stafford’s hamstring problem as “a small issue.” But no issue is small when it comes to the team’s most important player, a 16-year pro who has suffered through — and often played through — numerous injuries.

Last Wednesday, Stafford was pulled from a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring strain. He wasn’t on the field for a jog the next day, and McVay said Sunday he wasn’t concerned about the injury and that Stafford would have plenty of time to prepare for the Sept. 8 opener in Detroit.

On Monday, Stafford participated only in individual drills. Then came the big show on Tuesday.

“That was part of the progression plan,” McVay said. “We figured he’d get half the reps of the team and gradually build up his level.”

The Rams will travel to Houston on Wednesday and practice with the Texans on Thursday. Stafford’s participation is “to be determined,” McVay said, because of “unforeseen movements” that could aggravate the hamstring injury.

Stafford and the other starters will not play in their final preseason game against the Texans on Saturday. The next time Stafford plays, he is scheduled to do so in the San Fernando Valley.

Upon their return from Texas, the Rams are expected to move to their new temporary facility in Woodland Hills, where owner Stan Kroenke has planned a massive development that includes a permanent facility for football and business operations.

The Rams were supposed to move to Woodland Hills after training camp at Loyola Marymount, but the facility wasn’t ready, so they returned to California Lutheran, their home base since 2016.

On Tuesday, McVay was asked if this was really the Rams’ last day in Thousand Oaks.

“I’ve been here before, so I wouldn’t rule out any possibility,” he said. “I have no idea. If Woodland Hills is ready, then this will be the last day. And if not, we’ll come back here.”

“I’ve sat here before and said, ‘Hey, it was great to be here’ — and here we are again.”

McVay asked a team official what he thought.

“I feel good about it,” the official said.

“That makes us one of us,” McVay joked. “I’m kidding.”