‘Routine’ looking play cost Jonah Jackson big with the Rams

Jonah Jackson’s signing didn’t work out for the Los Angeles Rams, and an unfortunate injury may have started it

Jonah Jackson was supposed to be a big addition to the Los Angeles Rams last offseason as he added size and poundage to a growing offensive line, but instead Jackson was hurt in a freak accident that cost the offensive lineman a good amount of his training camp and eventually his time in L.A.

On a play that looked “so routine” Jackson broke his shoulder-blade (or scapula) on a pass-rush drill before the season started. Jackson, to credit his toughness, attempted to come back after the initial injury, but he was hurt again quickly in the regular season, later being given one more start at center before he was moved to L.A.’s scout team.

What was apparently deemed a “freak injury” by L.A.’s medical staff, and an injury so uncommon VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott said that he’d only seen it twice, ended up costing Jackson opportunities to get his footing in Sean McVay’s scheme.

Jackson chatted with Go Long when he and his interviewer broke down some of what went wrong in Jackson’s lone season in L.A.

“First came the broken scapula the second week of training camp. (“The freakiest of accidents.”) During a third-down pass rush drill, the force of his punch cracked the bone. When he re-watched the clip with Rams staffers, they couldn’t believe it. It looked so innocent, so routine. But the scapula is “pretty damn big,” Jackson says, and controls more movement than he ever realized. One small crack was enough. The Rams’ VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott told Jackson this was only the second time in his 15-year career with the team he had ever seen this injury.

Jackson took four weeks off, returned, played in the Rams’ home opener and then re-cracked that scapula in the second half of Game No. 2. This forced him to miss another eight weeks to let the bone fully heal. Upon returning, he started one game at center and was benched for the season. Sean McVay, for whatever reason, didn’t want to see his investment through at that investment’s natural position: guard. Jackson spent the rest of the season on the Rams’ scout team.”

1. Was Jackson’s scapula injury bound to happen (if this happened on routine contact, how would his scapula have held up under major contact?)
2. Assuming he is healed up, should L.A. have given Jackson another chance to start/contribute this year?

We’ll see how Jackson does for the Chicago Bears as that can influence the discussion about whether or not L.A. made the right decision when they traded Jackson after his single unlucky year in Los Angeles. Though I suppose the Rams showing that Jackson isn’t missed would be a factor in those conversations too.