It’s been a challenging season for Rams lineman Jonah Jackson. Since signing a three-year deal worth $51 million in March, Jackson has played just three games for Los Angeles.
He dealt with a shoulder injury during the offseason, aggravated it in Week 2 and is now a backup to rookie center Beaux Limmer.
Jackson dropped from the starting lineup in Week 11 after only one game back from injured reserve and it’s unclear if he’ll ever come off the bench again this season. There’s no question his shoulder injury has had a negative impact on his first year with the Rams, limiting his reps in practice and game settings.
That, Sean McVay says, is the primary reason Jackson has struggled thus far. McVay isn’t giving up on Jackson yet, though. He told reporters Monday that he still has “a ton of confidence” in the lineman despite a disappointing start to his Rams tenure.
“I think it’s just getting back into just playing football,” McVay said when asked if Jackson is still battling back from his shoulder injury. “Different than Steve [Avila], Steve at least had an offseason and a training camp. Jonah didn’t really have any of those things. I still have a ton of confidence in the type of player that he is, the type of man he is, the way that he’s wired, but it’s just getting opportunities to play football. It’s hard to get better at football without playing it. He just hasn’t had a lot of opportunities, not to mention that while there are some similarities, there are some differences in terms of the intricacies of the techniques and the fundamentals that we’re asking, getting familiar playing with the guy next to you whether that be a tackle or a guard. Or are you playing center or are you playing guard? I don’t think that that’s an issue, it’s more just being able to continue to improve and get those opportunities to do that. I do have a lot of confidence in him that that’ll be something that will be obtained.”
The Rams are in a tough spot with Jackson. They’d love to play a guy they gave $25.5 million guaranteed just eight months ago, but he struggled in his return to the starting lineup two weeks ago. Limmer has clearly outplayed him and with the Rams in the thick of a playoff race, they can’t afford to play a worse player just because he’s being paid handsomely.
The issue is Jackson can’t improve or improve his chemistry with the Rams’ other linemen if he isn’t playing on Sundays or getting first-team reps in practice. So in all likelihood, the Rams will stick with the trio of Avila, Limmer and Kevin Dotson on the interior until there’s an injury or a need to shake things up.
It’s not a great use of financial resources to have a $51 million player on the bench, but the Rams have to play their best guys regardless of their contracts.