Matthew Stafford under (surprising) center during Rams voluntary workout

No pass rush was in his face, many veteran players were absent, and he operated in a mandated practice pace that is dialed back to prevent injuries.

But new Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford appeared to compete in organized-team activity drills Thursday as if the season was about to start — not more than three months away.

“The consistency that he comes to work with is definitely something that he makes it really fun,” coach Sean McVay said during a videoconference after the workout. “And I’ve been pleased with what he’s done up to this point.”

Stafford, acquired in a January trade that sent quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round draft picks to the Detroit Lions, is in a new setting for the first time since the Lions chose him with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

And Stafford has wasted no time establishing himself as a team leader.

“Everybody’s already bought in,” running back Cam Akers said. “That was from Day 1.”

Stafford has a few more weeks of offseason workouts, the summer and training camp to prepare for his Rams debut in the Sept. 12 season opener against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford and Rams starters are not expected to play in preseason games against the Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos, but McVay announced Thursday the Rams would hold joint practices with the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys before the opener.

Stafford said this week that those practice settings enable players to get even more valuable work.

“The ability for teams to practice against each other has been a huge thing I’ve been a part of the last couple years that I actually really loved,” Stafford told reporters. “Whether it was two-minute situations or just a rip of about 10 third downs in a row, whatever it is, they can kind of force the situation on the players and really make us react and go out there and play, which is a positive.”

New receiver DeSean Jackson, tight end Tyler Higbee, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd were not in attendance Thursday, the first workout that has been open to reporters since the Rams’ offseason program began.

McVay noted participation in workouts is voluntary.

“A lot of those guys have been here,” McVay said. “I’ve really appreciated the consistent communication among those guys. … they’ve all been able to kind of communicate, where we understand exactly what’s going on.”

On Thursday, Stafford worked mainly with Austin Corbett at center.

Austin Corbett, shown celebrating a Rams touchdown last season, was taking most of the first-team snaps at center during camp Thursday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

In 2019, after he was acquired in an early-season trade with the Cleveland Browns, Corbett started seven games at left guard. Last season, he started every game at right guard. Now he could be on track to fill the void left by the departure of center Austin Blythe, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He and Matthew have established a nice rapport together,” McVay said of Corbett. “I know that Austin can play really well at guard, and we’re going to continue to see what it looks like at center and try to find the best combination of five to play up front.”

Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton are other centers.

With Corbett working at center, third-year pro Bobby Evans is practicing at guard. Evans started seven games at right tackle in 2019.

Rookie receiver Tutu Atwell worked Thursday as a punt returner. Other rookies also continued to acclimate. Asked which rookies had stood out, McVay said it was too soon to evaluate, especially with no full-pads contact allowed.

The Rams continue the offseason program next week. They will conclude with a minicamp June 8-10.

“Really just getting the foundation set the right way,” McVay said of his goals, “Making sure that we’re giving clarity to our players.”