The Los Angeles Rams will finally play their first game of the season on Sunday when they take on the Houston Texans. There is a very good chance that whoever wins the game will come down to which one of Jared Verse or Will Anderson takes over. For Verse, he’ll be matched up against rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery which should be a favorable advantage for the Rams defense. Meanwhile, Will Anderson will be going up against Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson.
For Jackson, it will be an immediate test after spending much of the offseason working from the sidelines. After signing an extension with the Rams prior to free agency, Jackson missed much of the offseason program navigating blood clots. It was a similar issue that caused him to miss the second half of the 2022 season.
While the Rams continue to, rightfully, treat Jackson’s blood clots as a fluid situation, head coach Sean McVay has noted that the plan is for Jackson to play. The Rams left tackle has begun practicing this week for the first time since the blood clots diagnosis. Said McVay,
“We will get a gauge to see how he feels…We want to make sure that we’re taking it a step at a time throughout the course of the week…He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go…I do believe that we’ll be at our best with him out there.”
Despite Jackson finally stepping foot on the practice field, the Rams aren’t in the clear. No two cases of blood clots are the same which makes narrowing in on a timeline very difficult. Christian Barmore dealt with blood clots last season. While he returned to action in mid-November, he was placed back in injured reserve a month later. It’s very possible that they resurface during the season. At the same time, they may be under control and not pop up again.
Still, Jackson will be tested immediately by Anderson who is one of the better edge rushers in the NFL. After not practicing all offseason, it’s worth wondering how much rust Jackson will need to shake off. Typically at this point, Jackson would have played in multiple joint practices while having daily battles against the likes of Jared Verse. This isn’t necessarily an opponent that Jackson will be able to ‘test the waters’ against and work into the game. He’ll need to come out on his A-game right out of the gates. McVay said,
“He’s taking great care of himself and he’s put himself in a rare position that I do believe to step in and play at a good clip. 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 with the work that he’s put in to be in this position.”
This isn’t to say that Jackson is going to struggle against Anderson and the Texans defense. However, given that Jackson doesn’t have the practice reps that others do have heading into Week 1, there is some level of concern. Last season, he ranked 12th in Brandon Thorn’s Sack Score metric and fourth in pressure snaps per sack.
We should find out exactly where Jackson is at from a level perspective early in the season. Not only will he face Anderson in Week 1, but Nolan Smith will provide another challenge in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Nick Bosa will shortly follow. For the Rams to find success early in the season, they will need to keep Matthew Stafford upright and that starts with Jackson at left tackle. Despite missing the entire offseason, Jackson will be expected to prove why the Rams paid him earlier this year.
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