ClutchPoints
There is a breath of excitement around the Los Angeles Rams this season. They have a loaded offense, led by Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford under center. They also extended Kyren Williams in the backfield with a three-year contract and added Davante Adams to their receiving corps. The biggest issue might be with the offensive line, with the health of tackle Alaric Jackson being up in the air.
Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer said that Alaric Jackson should be back and ready to play, but the Rams are not rushing him back. He experienced blood clots, and it is always scary to come back from, even if he is successful. Jackson is still young and has a chance to return and fit in seamlessly with this offense.
Breer said, “The Rams feel good about where he is, and there’s some recent history of guys coming back successfully from blood clots, but it’s a scary thing for anyone to deal with. If he’s good on that count, the team thinks his best football is ahead of him.”
Jackson did not travel with the Rams to their mandatory minicamp in Hawaii. Jackson also dealt with a similar situation during the 2022 season: he sat out the final nine games because of blood clots.
McVay did not provide a timeline for Jackson’s return, saying, “We’re just taking it a day at a time.” He also said that Jackson was “feeling some things in his lower leg,” which led to scans showing the blood clots.
“You pray for him to have a healthy, safe recovery,” McVay said. “And we’re just taking it a day at a time with him. There are a lot of examples of people who have had situations like this, but they’re all still so uniquely independent in their own right. And so we’re gathering information.”
It’s worth noting that Jackson was a starter on the line for 14 of the Rams’ games last year after sitting out the first two games for violating the personal conduct policy. After the Rams clinched a postseason berth, he sat out for the finale.
“There needs to be a lot of discussion and dialogue with [Jackson] and the doctors about, most importantly, what’s best for him as a human being,” McVay said. “And then you talk about football after that. But we are grateful that we could identify this based on his communication and get him on the appropriate medicine to ensure he’s as healthy as possible.”
If Jackson comes back and is back to his usual self, the Rams are on track to be a massive contender in the NFL this season.
The post Insider pegs 1 injury that could doom Rams offense, and it’s not Matthew Stafford appeared first on ClutchPoints.
