The Los Angeles Rams received encouraging confirmation from head coach Sean McVay that Matthew Stafford will start against the Houston Texans in the regular season opener. However, Stafford and the Rams got great news with McVay’s update on left tackle Alaric Jackson.
A reserve on the Rams’ Super Bowl team in 2021, Jackson has become a vital starter, and that has only become amplified this offseason.
Now, the Rams can, hopefully, move forward.
“We’ll get a gauge to see how he feels. The answer is, ‘Yeah, that’s the plan.’ We want to make sure that we’re taking it a step at a time throughout the course of the week,” McVay told reporters on September 1.
“He earned the right to be in the position where you pay him. He was a huge priority for us to get him back. He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go. This has always been the end goal in mind is to be ready to go against the Texans. Now, it’s a great challenge. We know what a great team they have as a whole, and, especially, great defense. But I do believe that we’ll be at our best with him out there.”
The Rams re-signed Jackson to a three-year, $57.7 million contract this past offseason.
A former undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2021, Jackson started 29 games for the Rams over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Rams HC Sean McVay Happy to Have Alaric Jackson Back
GettyAlaric Jackson #77 of the Los Angeles Rams at day one of training camp.
McVay provided the update on Jackson, along with word that Stafford would start, saying the Rams expect to have “everybody ready to go.”
As for Jackson, McVay said he “looked good” and that it was “great” to have him back in the mix. The coach enjoyed seeing the young veteran back on the practice field. He was clear to note that it is something they must continue to be mindful of.
Jackson also experienced blood clots that cost him nine games in 2022.
“We didn’t have pads on, so it was a bonus Monday, but he’s taken great care of himself, and he’s put himself in a rare position that, I do believe, [will allow him to] to step in and play at a good clip. So, he’s been able to do a lot of stuff above the neck. He’s taken great care of himself, tried to simulate a lot of these types of things. There’s nothing like actually playing real football, as we all know. But today was a great step in the right direction. And more importantly, it was awesome for him, just with the work that he’s put in to be in this position,” McVay said.
“That’s always something that you have to manage. … So, he’s in great shape. We’ve got a great plan in place. One of the doctors that’s been instrumental in and helping kind of facilitate this process was here last – what seems like an eternity ago – last Thursday and seemed to be really positive and optimistic about the plan we have in place, and kind of all the checkpoints that we wanted to be able to hit. But I certainly don’t think you minimize, and I know that’s not what you were asking, but you manage this. We have a plan in place. But he’s in a great position and it’s a huge credit to him and to the medical team behind the scenes.”
McVay’s assessment of Jackson is the best news yet for the Rams, because Stafford’s outlook remains less certain, it seems.
Rams Get LT Back Amid ‘Greatest Weakness’
GettyAlaric Jackson #77 of the Los Angeles Rams before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams made contingency plans for Jackson, signing veteran D.J. Humphries to man Stafford’s blindside. With Jackson back, Humphries can revert to a reserve role. More importantly, the Rams can have more confidence in their protection plan around Stafford.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop cited the issue as the Rams’ “biggest weakness,” noting the possibility of recurrence.
“The Rams quarterback, entering his 17th season, is dealing with an aggravated disk in his back and missed nearly the first month of training camp,” Barshop wrote on August 31. Though Stafford could still play in the Rams’ season opener against the Texans, there’s a chance this back injury is something the quarterback and the Rams will have to manage all season.”
Over the past two seasons, 12 quarterbacks have made at least 30 starts.
Stafford is among that group, and he has absorbed the third-fewest sacks in that span, per Stathead. A QB bears plenty of responsibility for sacks taken, but having Jackson on his blindside at left tackle on the Rams’ offensive line has helped.
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