Tag: Alaric Jackson

Rams LT Alaric Jackson ruled out with thigh injury vs. Bengals

Alaric Jackson injured his thigh in the first half against the Bengals and is questionable to return

The Los Angeles Rams lost starting left tackle Alaric Jackson in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals after he suffered a thigh injury. The Rams announced he’s questionable to return, and he was replaced by Zach Thomas at left tackle.

Jackson has been a stud so far this season, replacing Joe Noteboom as the blindside protector for Matthew Stafford. With Noteboom playing right guard, the Rams went with Thomas as the backup swing tackle instead of moving Noteboom outside.

UPDATE: Jackson has been ruled out.

6 Rams to watch in Week 2 vs. 49ers

Here are six players from the Rams to watch in the team’s Week 2 showdown with the 49ers.

The Los Angeles Rams shocked many people by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 30-13 on the road in Week 1. After beating one divisional opponent, the Rams will now host the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium in Week 2.

Matthew Stafford and the offense were firing on all cylinders in the season opener despite All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp being sidelined. Meanwhile, the 49ers cruised to a 30-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 to prove they are still a top-tier team in the NFC.

With the Rams being near touchdown underdogs entering Week 2, here are six players to watch in the impending matchup with the 49ers.

Rams’ offensive line finished 3rd in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1

The Rams finished 3rd in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1 after keeping Matthew Stafford clean against the Seahawks.

One of the positives that came from Week 1 for the Los Angeles Rams is the fact the new-look offensive line performed admirably well. After a stellar outing to begin the season, the Rams’ offensive line finished third in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1 versus the Seattle Seahawks.

To come up with the aggregated ratings, PFF grades and SIS scores were weighted at 40 percent each. The final 20 percent came from ESPN’s pass-block win rate, which was the only metric that was vastly different for the Rams.

 

Injuries and inconsistency led to the Rams allowing Matthew Stafford to be sacked 29 times in only 9 starts in 2022. The offensive line surrendered 59 total sacks a season ago.

Following a dismal season in the trenches, the Rams added new faces and made alterations to the starting offensive line. The five starters in Week 1 from left to right were Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, and Rob Havenstein.

With a new starting five in place, the Rams allowed five total pressures and zero sacks in a 30-13 win over the Seahawks on the road. Sean McVay had nothing but positive things to say about how the offensive line performed in the season opener.

While it was a step in the right direction for the Rams’ offensive line, they’ll be tasked with slowing down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

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Two Rams highlighted as ‘Secret Superstars’ of Week 1

Puka Nacua and Alaric Jackson were highlighted as two of the most underrated players of Week 1 in the NFL

There were a lot of standout players for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell to Kyren Williams. A handful of defenders shined, too, including rookie Byron Young and safety Russ Yeast.

But only two Rams players earned national recognition for being two of the most underrated performers of Week 1 around the NFL. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar highlighted Nacua and left tackle Alaric Jackson as two “Secret Superstars” in the first week of the season, an honor each player certainly deserved after seeing the way they played against the Seahawks.

Farrar mentioned just how good Nacua was when lining up at all different spots in the formation, from the outside position to the slot. The rookie finished with 10 catches for 119 yards, statistically the best debut ever by a Rams rookie receiver.

The first thing to note about Nacua, the fifth-round rookie out of BYU, is how he was utilized in the Rams’ 30-13 stunner against the Seahawks: 37 snaps out wide, seven in the slot, 18 tight to the formation, and two in the backfield. The second thing to note is the historic nature of his performance from all those locations. Nacua set a franchise record for receiving yards in a first career game, and that’s for a team that’s been in the NFL since 1937.

Jackson may not have been one of the highest-graded linemen in the league this week, but he was one of the best pass blockers. According to PFF, he had a pass-blocking grade of 88.5, allowing zero sacks and just one pressure on 41 pass-blocking snaps. That grade of 88.5 was the third-best of any player in the NFL this week.

Jackson came into 2023 as the Rams’ starting left tackle in the team’s severe rebuild all along that front five, and the 2020 undrafted free agent out of Iowa did a really nice job against a Seahawks defense that threw all kinds of different fronts and games against him. Jackson allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and one quarterback hurry in 43 pass-blocking snaps, and he was pitch-perfect on Matthew Stafford’s three completions of 20 or more air yards

Both Nacua and Jackson should remain integral parts of the Rams offense for not just this season, but potentially years to come. And neither was a top draft pick; Nacua went in the fifth round and Jackson was undrafted in 2021.

Les Snead seems to have uncovered two gems for Los Angeles, something he’s done several times as the team’s general manager.

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Stats show Rams’ offensive line was one of NFL’s best in Week 1

The Rams’ offensive line looked great in Week 1 against the Seahawks and the stats back that up.

Many were curious to see how the new-look offensive line of the Los Angeles Rams would perform in Week 1, and they didn’t disappoint. Following Sunday’s lopsided win over the Seattle Seahawks, stats show just how dominant the offensive line of the Rams was in the season opener.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Rams’ pass-blocking grade of 84.8 is the second-highest of any team in the NFL through Sunday’s games in Week 1. They allowed just five pressures all game long, which is an impressive number compared to last year’s performances up front.

To begin the season, the Rams deployed a starting offensive line of Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, and Rob Havenstein. Matthew Stafford had plenty of time to survey the field in the passing game, and most importantly, the offensive line didn’t allow the veteran quarterback to be sacked.

Moving Noteboom to right guard and having Jackson take his place at left tackle was the most notable alteration the Rams made in the trenches. It certainly panned out — at least for now — as Jackson currently boasts the third-highest pass-blocking grade among offensive linemen in Week 1.

Injuries and inconsistent play plagued the offensive line of the Rams in 2022, which led to Stafford enduring multiple injuries himself. As a team, the Rams allowed 59 sacks a season ago, making it the most sacks given up in a single season during Sean McVay’s tenure with the organization.

It is only one week, but the first impressions of the new-look offensive line are undoubtedly positive. Each starter finished with a pass-blocking grade of 73 or higher in Week 1, according to PFF. After keeping Stafford upright against the Seahawks, the Rams’ offensive line unit will be tasked with slowing down a dynamic defense in the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

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6 Rams to watch in Week 1 vs. Seahawks

We take a look at six players from the Rams to watch in Sunday’s season opener against the Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams are set to kick off the 2023 season with a road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The last time we saw these teams face each other was in Week 18 of the 2022 season, which ended with the Seahawks winning in overtime by a score of 19-16.

Entering this season, the Rams and the Seahawks have completely different expectations. The Seahawks will enter Sunday’s divisional showdown as nearly touchdown favorites, likely due to the Rams relying on a slew of inexperienced players on both sides of the ball.

Ahead of Sunday’s season opener versus the Seahawks, here are six players on the Rams to keep an eye on.

Sean McVay breaks down what he’s looking for in a starting left tackle

Sean McVay gave a breakdown of what the Rams want in a left tackle, both in simple and technical terms

One of the key position battles that’s ongoing in Rams training camp is the one at left tackle. Alaric Jackson is competing with Joe Noteboom, who was the starter to begin last season before tearing his Achilles.

There’s been no indication of who’s winning that competition as camp nears its end, and it doesn’t sound like Sean McVay feels rushed to decide on a starter. During an interview on Inside Rams Camp, McVay said he’s not putting a timetable on when he wants to pick a starting left tackle or center.

“I don’t think you have any real timetable on it. I think you want to continue to be able to evaluate,” he said.

As for what he’s looking for in a left tackle, McVay looked toward Andrew Whitworth, who always talked about production at that position. It sounds simple, but he also wants a player who will take care of his responsibility on each play.

That’s when McVay got a bit more technical, describing a couple of different scenarios that a left tackle might face.

“I think it’s production. I think you look at the big fella that was doing it at a high level for such a long period of time for us, he used to talk about production. What is my job within the framework of each single snap? And did I do my job? Am I checking that box or am I not?” he said. “Sometimes it can be a little bit flashier than others but ultimately, if you’re responsible for reaching an open-side 5-technique and you keep him covered up to be able to run in the B-gap and press it backside, job well done. If you’re responsible for being on the man side of the protection and you keep your guy covered up just long enough to give Matthew a second hitch to be able to get through a progression, job well done.”

One additional trait McVay wants in all of his linemen is physicality. He wants the Rams to be more physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage, which includes their left tackle.

On that front, Jackson appears to play with a little bit more physicality than Noteboom, so he could end up being the team’s preferred left tackle.

“We’re looking for consistency snap in and snap out. I think we want to be a physical unit, as well,” he said. “I think that’s an important thing for us to establish, physicality on both sides of the line of scrimmage. But it is about production snap in and snap out and consistency and that’s what we want to be able to see.”

McVay hasn’t said whether Jackson or Noteboom will play in the preseason, but given his recent comments about the plan being “very different,” we can assume they’ll get at least some snaps in preseason games to help sort out the position battle.

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Rams’ LT and center competitions could decide how rest of O-line looks

The Rams may need to figure out who their starting left tackle and center is before determining who starts at guard

Before the Los Angeles Rams can decide who will be their two starting guards, they might need to sort out very important competitions at left tackle and center. Sean McVay has already said it’s an open battle at both positions, with Alaric Jackson and Joe Noteboom competing at left tackle and Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton at center.

What makes those two positions so interesting is the fact that the loser of each won’t necessarily be a backup. It’s possible that whoever loses each competition will still get a chance to start somewhere along the offensive line.

That’s a testament to the position flexibility of those players, with the exception of Allen, who’s strictly a center. Jackson and Noteboom can both play tackle or guard, and they’ve each made starts at both positions in the past. Shelton has also been a starter at center and guard.

There’s a scenario where if Jackson beats out Noteboom at left tackle, Noteboom could be the starting right guard. The same goes for Allen and Shelton; if Allen wins out at center, Shelton could still start at right guard.

That’s a good problem to have, but one the Rams have to figure out sooner than later. Right now, they’re rotating guys a bunch along the offensive line in an attempt to find their best five starters. There’s been no indication of whether Jackson or Noteboom is lead at left tackle, or who has the edge at center.

But once the Rams settle on starters at each position, they can then give the loser of those battles a fair shot to compete at other spots; maybe in the end, Jackson is just best suited to play guard instead of left tackle.

“I think you want to see competition across the board, but when you look at it, you’ve got four players that are competing or rotating at those spots right now that have all played in bigtime games and started for us. When you look at Alaric Jackson, you look at Joe Noteboom at the left tackle spot, you look at Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton from the center spot, those are guys that have played a lot of football for us,” McVay said this week. “I do believe competition brings out the best in guys. And so, whether or not those guys are always at those spots, that’s to be determined, but I do think that they’ll positively push each other and get the most out of each other and that’s what we’re looking at early on in camp. I’m looking forward to seeing those battles unfold.”

One of the guard spots could potentially go to rookie Steve Avila, who’s already gotten first-team reps. If he’s locked in as one starter, the other position could be hotly contested by a handful of players: Jackson or Noteboom, Shelton, Logan Bruss and Tremayne Anchrum Jr. That’s potentially five players competing for one spot.

Left tackle and center are unquestionably more important than the two guard spots, which is why it’s critical for the Rams to settle on starters at those positions sooner rather than later. Plus, with the way McVay protects his starters in the preseason, he’s not going to want to put guys in harm’s way if he doesn’t have to in meaningless exhibition games.

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Rams’ 23 most important players for 2023 – No. 17: OL Alaric Jackson

Alaric Jackson is competing for snaps at left tackle and guard, potentially starting at one of the two positions

Alaric Jackson missed nine games last season after being diagnosed with blood clots, requiring medical treatment that caused him to be shut down for the year. He played eight games and made six starts, doing a nice job filling in as the Rams cycled through linemen due to various injuries.

Heading into the 2023 season, Jackson is in position to potentially start right out of the gate. He can play left tackle and either guard spot, which gives the Rams options up front.

Jackson could be to the Rams what Noteboom was from 2018-2021: a valuable swing tackle and versatile backup.

Aaron Donald, Alaric Jackson absent from Rams’ mandatory minicamp for family reasons

Aaron Donald and Alaric Jackson have both been excused from Rams mandatory minicamp due to family matters they communicated ahead of time.

The Los Angeles Rams began their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and they are without two players. Sean McVay shared that Aaron Donald and Alaric Jackson were excused from the beginning of camp due to family reasons that they communicated ahead of time.

Players who skip minicamp could be subject to fines but because they were excused, the Rams presumably won’t levy any penalties against them.

It is unknown exactly why Donald and Jackson are absent from the start of minicamp, but there don’t appear to be any concerns for either of them. The hope is that neither of them is dealing with any serious regarding their families.

Donald is entering his 10th season in the NFL and he is still one of the premier defenders, so there’s no rush in getting him back on the practice field. That being said, the All-Pro interior defender could benefit from having time around the young players that are joining the new-look front seven.

Meanwhile, Jackson figures to compete for a starting spot along the offensive line despite Joseph Noteboom returning to practice as he recovers from a torn Achilles. Taking that into account, Jackson likely won’t want to miss much time as he looks to earn a prominent role in the trenches.

While there are sometimes concerns about players missing the beginning of mandatory minicamps, there doesn’t seem to be much concern with Donald or Jackson right now.