Jonah Jackson, a former left guard for the Detroit Lions, was one of the Rams’ biggest free agent signings this past offseason. The rationale for Jackson’s signing was straightforward: as Matthew Stafford ages, the Rams needed to make an investment in the interior offensive line to provide his quarterback with a clean pocket. Moreover, adding size would enable head coach Sean McVay to continue developing the power run game that he introduced in the second half of 2023. Nevertheless, since Jackson’s signing, he has not been able to play regularly. Jackson missed OTAs while recovering from a meniscus tear sustained in the NFC Championship game. During training camp, Jackson suffered a scapula bruise that would require surgery.
It would be challenging for the Rams offensive line to establish any kind of consistency and chemistry prior to Week 1 without playing any reps. Less than a week before the Rams’ matchup with the Lions, the team decided to switch Jackson from left guard to center. Jackson was placed on injured reserve just last week after breaking his scapula, which had been bruised during training camp.
Since OTAs, the Rams offensive line has been, to put it mildly, disorganized, and Jackson has played a significant role in that. The team’s major free agency acquisition has not given the inside consistency they were hoping for when they signed him.
It is early, of course, and Jackson’s comeback might have an influence. Having said that, the Rams did not sign him expecting this kind of start. Jackson has experienced injuries during his career. It is something that ought to have been known at the time of his signing. He will have missed at least four games for the third straight season. He has only played 130 snaps this season and, having already missed six weeks of training camp, will be sidelined for a considerable amount of time.
Fortunately, the depth of the Rams has improved without Jackson, especially youngster Beaux Limmer. Limmer, who was selected in the sixth round as a backup center, started for the second time in a row in Week 3 against the 49ers. The novice permitted only
It was impossible to predict Limmer’s performance once drafted or whether the Rams would select a center in free agency. Though nobody could have imagined that he would be able to step in and play like a starting caliber center in a pinch, Limmer never should have fallen to the sixth round.
The Rams are somewhat in a bind as a result of this. The Rams can simply slide Steve Avila back at left guard, where he was last season, when he returns. When Jackson comes back, that is when problems start to arise. He will undoubtedly be added back into the starting lineup, to be sure. If his position changes, the Rams are paying him as the second-highest paid center.There is some debate over whether or not Jackson was the best free agent acquisition given how well Limmer is doing and the Rams’ prior success at center with players like Coleman Shelton and Brian Allen.
It would be one thing if Jackson could return and maintain his health. But Jackson has already been placed on injured reserve over 25% of the way into the 2024 season, having missed the majority of the offseason training.
This may go very wrong and become Joe Noteboom. Noteboom had demonstrated glimpses of being a starting-caliber left tackle when the Rams signed him back in 2022. He has never been able to maintain his health for extended periods of time, though. Although Jackson has had injury throughout his career, he is a more talented player than Noteboom. Is it possible to count on this player to start every week? Although the Rams have had a bad history with injuries, eventually
There is never too much offensive line depth for NFL clubs, and the Rams are a prime example of this. They know, at the absolute least, that they have a player they can count on to play effectively and fill in at center if necessary. By no means is that a bad thing.
But it is important to consider if the Jackson signing will be viewed as a bad deal in a year or two. Jackson can not play again until Week 8 of the season after participating in the first two games. For context, Jackson’s bruised scapula caused him to miss six weeks of action. The majority of resources list a 6–12 week recovery period for a scapula fracture. Should Jackson fail to make six
Although the Rams do have a way out after the 2019 season, it is not a good omen if these conversations are already taking place. For the time being, Jackson does merit the benefit of the doubt. He still needs to demonstrate that he can maintain his health for longer than a few games. He is ranked 11th among interior offensive lineman in ESPN’s pass-block win-rate despite playing fewer snaps. Having said that, PFF has him ranked 76th out of 95 interior offensive lineman.
Jackson plays a major role in the Rams’ offensive strategy, but they are paying him a lot of money to accomplish it even if he is not always available. Although Limmer’s performance has been excellent, it merely
Jackson plays a major role in the Rams’ offensive strategy, but they are paying him a lot of money to accomplish it even if he is not always available. While Limmer’s success is encouraging, it raises questions about whether Jackson’s signing was really required given how effectively Avila fared at left guard in the previous campaign.
When Jackson gets back on the field in the midst of the season, we will see what kind of influence he has. His time with the Rams has not started as well as most would have liked.
