Tag: Jonah Jackson

Sean McVay still has ‘a ton of confidence’ in Jonah Jackson despite benching

Jonah Jackson has been benched by the Rams but Sean McVay hasn’t lost faith in him. He explained what’s caused some of his struggles.

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.

Rams bench ex-Lion Jonah Jackson

The Lions let Jackson walk and now pay Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler 1/3 of what the Rams spent on the free-agent flop

The Detroit Lions made a nice offer to Jonah Jackson when the offensive lineman hit free agency earlier this year. Jackson opted to chase some extra dollars and fled for the Los Angeles Rams instead.

That decision is looking terrible for both Jackson and the Rams already. Jackson has played in just three games thanks to a shoulder injury, and he’s not playing well when he’s been on the field. In fact, the Rams have now benched Jackson in favor of rookie Beaux Limmer.

Rams coach Sean McVay pulled the plug on Jackson as the Rams starting center in Week 11, turning to the sixth-round rookie from Arkansas over the $51 million man in Jackson. To be fair to the former Lions’ third-rounder, Jackson is a natural guard and played that in Detroit. But he’s not beaten out Steve Avila or Kevin Dotson at the guard spots in Los Angeles despite the Rams scrambling to find healthy bodies at tackle.

The Rams are 5-5, tied with the 49ers and Seahawks in the NFC West behind the 6-4 Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Lions are 9-1 and replaced Jackson with Pro Bowl veteran Kevin Zeitler, who is earning $6 million in 2024. Their PFF scores through Week 11:

Zeitler: 87.8
Jackson: 53.4

Good call by Lions GM Brad Holmes on letting Jackson walk and chase the money. Detroit saved money and got a better player.

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Beaux Limmer’s impressive play is making the Rams’ decision at center easy

The Rams benched Jonah Jackson for rookie Beaux Limmer on Sunday and it’ll be hard for them to go back to their big FA signing

When the Los Angeles Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency this offseason, he was projected to be their starting left guard. By Week 1, though, Jackson had moved to center and by Week 2, he was on injured reserve.

He finally returned from his shoulder injury in Week 10 but after struggling in his first game back, the Rams benched their high-priced lineman in favor of sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer.

It wasn’t terribly surprising after seeing Jackson’s play in the Week 10 loss to the Dolphins, and with Limmer playing as well as he has, it’s going to be hard for the Rams to turn back to Jackson.

According to The 33rd Team, Limmer allowed a pressure rate of only 3.7% on Sunday against the Patriots, the seventh-best of any rookie lineman.

This isn’t the first time Limmer has played really well at center, either. Pro Football Focus has only pegged him with 11 pressures allowed all season, including just three in his last five games.

Jackson, meanwhile, has allowed seven pressures in only two and a half games and a third of the snaps that Limmer has played.

Despite Jackson’s bloated contract and all the excitement surrounding that signing in March, the Rams may not have a choice but to stick with Limmer as their starting center. Sean McVay has always preached that the Rams are looking for their five best starters on the offensive line and if it’s a true meritocracy, it’ll be Limmer playing until further notice.

He’s clearly outplayed Jackson and is earning the trust of his coaches and players each week.

Rams bench their $51 million center one game after returning from IR

Jonah Jackson’s return to the starting lineup was short-lived. He was benched Sunday for 6th-round rookie Beaux Limmer after struggling in Week 10.

Jonah Jackson’s return to the starting lineup was short-lived. After missing six games in a row with a shoulder injury, Jackson came back in Week 10 as the Rams’ starting center next to Steve Avila.

However, he struggled in that loss to the Miami Dolphins and has been sent to the bench. The Rams went back to sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer as their center against the Patriots on Sunday, sitting down their $51 million free-agent signing.

It’s not a huge surprise after the way Jackson played, and Sean McVay said everything would be on the table when discussing potential changes, but it’s never a great sign to see one of the team’s big offseason additions being benched for a late-round rookie.

At left tackle, it was Alaric Jackson, with Avila at left guard, Kevin Dotson at right guard and Warren McClendon Jr. at right tackle with Rob Havenstein and Joe Noteboom both out.

The Rams signed Jackson to a three-year, $51 million contract in the offseason but he’s played just three games so far this season and there’s no telling when he’ll be back in the starting lineup with Limmer playing well.

Benching Beaux Limmer for Jonah Jackson was a big mistake by the Rams

The Rams went with their high-priced FA over the 6th-round rookie on Monday night and it turned out to be a costly change

Continuity has been elusive for the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line this season, undergoing several changes throughout the first half of the year due to injuries. Whether it was Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson going down, Rob Havenstein’s injuries, Alaric Jackson’s suspension or Logan Bruss’ struggles at left guard, the Rams have had to shuffle their O-line more than they’d like this season.

On Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, they might’ve made one too many changes.

Avila and Jackson were both activated off IR after missing the last seven and six games, respectively. Just as the offense is peaking, the line gets two of its Week 1 starters back after lengthy absences.

Exciting, right?

Yes and no. Avila slid in at left guard and after knocking off some rust early in the game, he finally settled in. The same can’t be said about Jackson. He never got comfortable at center and was part of the reason the Rams’ offense never got off the ground, either.

Sean McVay made the decision to bench sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer in order to get Jackson on the field and it completely backfired. Limmer, who hasn’t allowed a sack all year and has given up just three QB hits, was playing well – much better than Jackson did on Monday night.

Jackson struggled in pass protection and his worst play of the night was a high snap that went through Matthew Stafford’s hand for a 13-yard loss. That happened from the Dolphins’ 28-yard line, and after two plays that gained 7 yards, the Rams were forced to settle for a 52-yard field goal. A false start, ironically by Limmer, before the snap on the FG pushed it back another 5 yards and Joshua Karty missed wide right from 57 yards.

It was only one play, but that bad snap by Jackson might’ve been the difference in winning or losing. Had the Rams at least gotten a field goal, they would’ve cut into the Dolphins’ lead and made it 10-9. Instead, Miami scored on the next drive to go up 17-6.

After the game, McVay explained the decision to bench Limmer and Justin Dedich in favor of Jackson and Avila.

“Both Steve and Jonah were ready to go,” he said. “Wanted to be able to see what that looked like. You never know exactly, but always try to do what we think is best. This will be some good film to look at and see, all right, what do we think is the best way to put guys in the right spots to give them the chance to be successful and ultimately our offense.”

When asked specifically about the performance of the offensive line, McVay acknowledged there was some poor play. He also mentioned the word “continuity,” which the Rams finally found in the last three games with Dedich at left guard and Limmer at center.

“It didn’t seem very – it seemed like, I want to be able to look at the tape, but there was a lot of things that were not in alignment with what we’re looking for,” he said. “That’s why you hear us talk about the importance of continuity. Got a lot of respect for that defense, they did a nice job. But there was too many things that it just seemed like we were off and never gave ourselves a chance. And it’s not exclusively on the line. As a whole, collectively, we’re all in this thing together and we’ll look at it and we’ve got to be able to improve and everything’s on the table.”

Those last few words – “everything’s on the table” – suggest Jackson may not be ensured of a starting job in Week 11. He probably shouldn’t be. If the Rams don’t want to bench their $51 million lineman, they should at least consider putting him back at left guard, the position they paid him to play, and sliding Avila over to center.

Because after watching that debacle on Monday night, it’s clear Jackson shouldn’t be the starting center.

Rams surprisingly waive former 3rd-round pick after activating Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila

The Rams officially activated Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila from IR, but it came at the cost of Logan Bruss’ roster spot

The Los Angeles Rams are set to welcome Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila back to the starting lineup on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins. The team officially activated both players off injured reserve, making it likely that they will start at center and guard.

That’s excellent news for the Rams, but it does come at the cost of someone’s roster spot. To make room for Avila and Jackson, the Rams surprisingly waived Logan Bruss, a former third-round pick. Bruss started three games at left guard this season before being benched for undrafted rookie Justin Dedich, who has started the last three games and played well in Bruss’ place.

The Rams selected Bruss with the 104th overall pick in the 2022 draft, making him their top pick in that year’s class. He missed his rookie season with a torn ACL that he suffered in the preseason and spent last season on the practice squad before making the team this summer and getting his first chance to start.

It’s likely that the Rams will try to sign Bruss back to the practice squad, but because he’s subject to waivers, another team could potentially claim him before Los Angeles gets the chance to bring him back.

In addition to those three roster moves, the Rams activated Jonah Williams from the practice squad with Neville Gallimore ruled out. He’ll provide depth along the defensive line.

Rams have big decisions to make along offensive line for Week 10

The ongoing shuffling along the offensive line continues for the Rams this week with three positions still to be sorted out

Nothing has been easy up front for the Los Angeles Rams. The offensive line has been a revolving door, with 10 different players starting at least one game this season. That’s mostly been due to injuries suffered along the O-line, but performance has also led to some changes, too.

The shuffling will continue in Week 10 now that Jonah Jackson and possibly Steve Avila will be back on the field, and with Rob Havenstein out due to an ankle injury. It’s possible the Rams will have three different starters than they had last week, but it’s something the team is working through right now.

The first decision that must be made is where to play Jackson. Throughout training camp, the Rams were planning to play him at left guard. Then just before the start of the season, they moved him to center and kept Avila at left guard. The Rams only got to see that combination for a total of 37 snaps before Avila went down, so Sean McVay is trying to figure out where each player fits best.

McVay said Jackson will get reps at left guard and center as the Rams attempt to find his best spot up front.

“We’ll give him an opportunity to be able to get some work at both,” McVay said. “Steve will be able to get some work as well. It’s good to be able to have those guys back out on the practice field. We have had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line so it’s certainly something we’re used to.”

It’s not just about what position Jackson is best at, either. Beaux Limmer has been outstanding at center all year, but he can also play left guard. So if Jackson returns but Avila doesn’t, it might be best to keep Limmer at center and start Jackson at left guard.

If both Jackson and Avila are good to go, it’ll come down to deciding where each player is most comfortable – something that seemingly stymied the coaching staff before the season.

There’s little question that Jackson and Avila give the Rams the best chance to win, but their health and limited reps could impact the final decision along the O-line.

“I think you have to be able to try to trust your gut, make an evaluation on ultimately what we think is going to be best,” McVay said. “Where are these guys at physically? Obviously, these are special players and guys that have played a lot of really good football in this league. It’s part of the evaluation. That’s what’s challenging when you have limited repetitions during the course of the week leading into the game. We’ll evaluate it and then it’s a combination of both performance-based and then how they are feeling medically.”

Then there’s the situation at right tackle. Havenstein won’t play this week but the Rams have two candidates to replace him: Warren McClendon Jr. and Joe Noteboom. Noteboom was inactive last week so it was McClendon who filled in for Havenstein after he went down, but with both players active in Week 10, the Rams have another decision to make.

“There is a good possibility for either or. We’ll work through those things,” McVay said Monday. “I thought Joe made some good progress, but I thought Warren did a nice job stepping in and he played some quality snaps for us yesterday. These are positive things that we can figure out.”

The Rams would rather not need to shuffle the offensive line on a seemingly weekly basis, but the returns of Jackson and Avila are positives for this team, and the hope is that Havenstein won’t be out long.

Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson are officially back at practice for the Rams

Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson are back at practice and have officially been designated to return from IR

Reinforcements have arrived for the Los Angeles Rams at the midway point in the season.

On Thursday, Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson were both officially designated to return from injured reserve. The Rams announced that both players have returned to practice, giving them each a great chance to play on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.

Sean McVay said earlier this week that the team expects Jackson to be ready to go for this week’s game, and there’s a chance Avila will be available, too. We’ll wait to see each player’s participation level on Thursday as the Rams begin their preparation, which could be an indication of whether they’ll play against Miami.

Avila has been out since injuring his knee in Week 1, landing him on injured reserve and causing him to miss the next seven games. Jackson injured his shoulder in Week 2 and has also been on IR ever since, missing the last six games.

Rookies Beaux Limmer and Justin Dedich have held down the center and left guard spots in recent weeks, but there’s no question Avila and Jackson will step back into starting roles when ready.

It just remains to be seen who will play what position; in Week 1, it was Avila at left guard and Jackson at center after the team had planned for Avila to play center during training camp.

Rams could get two starting linemen back from IR for Week 10 vs. Dolphins

Rob Havenstein will miss Week 10 but the Rams could get both Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson back from IR against the Dolphins

Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson were supposed to fortify the interior of the Rams’ offensive line this season but both of them went down with injuries in the first two weeks and have yet to return. Avila injured his knee in the season opener and Jackson aggravated a shoulder injury in Week 2, sidelining both of them ever since.

The Rams have been patiently awaiting the return of their versatile linemen and this could be the week they come back. Sean McVay told reporters on Monday that both Jackson and Avila could be ready to play against the Dolphins next Monday night, a big Week 10 showdown at SoFi Stadium.

Jackson began the year as the starting center and Avila opened the season at left guard, but they each have the position flexibility to play either spot. It’s unclear how the Rams will deploy their two linemen when they do return, but they should become immediate starters either way.

In their place, Justin Dedich and Logan Bruss held down the fort at left guard, while rookie Beaux Limmer has played well at center. It could be hard to bench Limmer with the way he’s playing, but Avila and Jackson are two premier players who should make the Rams better right away.

At the very least, both Jackson and Avila will return to practice this week, starting their 21-day windows to be activated from IR. So even if they don’t make it back for Monday’s game, they will have to be activated in the next three weeks.

It sounds like they’ll return much sooner than that, though.

Rams will have to wait at least another week to get these key starters back from IR

Sean McVay doesn’t expect Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III to play this week

Puka Nacua made a surprising return from injured reserve last week after only turning in one practice but no one should expect a similar situation to play out with Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III this week.

All three of those key starters are currently on injured reserve and eligible to come back at any time, but none of them have even been designated to return from practice. As a result, Sean McVay doesn’t see a scenario where they play this weekend against the Seahawks.

“Not this week. I don’t expect any changes in their status,” McVay said Wednesday.

Avila has been sidelined with a knee injury since Week 1, while Jackson and Johnson both suffered shoulder injuries in Week 2 against the Cardinals. There could be a chance they return next week when the Rams host the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, but for now, they’ll remain on injured reserve.