A suspension sidelined offensive lineman Alaric Jackson for the first two weeks of the regular season, and his absence was certainly felt at left tackle during that time.
Once he returned, he started the Rams' next 14 consecutive games before being inactive as one of the resting starters in Los Angeles' Week 18 regular season finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jackson played the 2024 season on a one-year contract (restricted free agent tender). As a result, he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when that deal expires at the start of the new league year on March 12.
Re-signing Jackson would help maintain offensive line continuity that proved elusive until the second half of the season. His durability and availability proved critical to that.
The former Iowa standout finished 2024 with the best pass-blocking grade of all Rams offensive linemen (79.5), according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, L.A.'s offensive line committed the fewest penalties per game in the NFL (5.56), allowed the sixth-fewest sacks (31), sixth-lowest quarterback sack rate (5.3%, Next Gen Stats), seventh-fewest hurries (132) and 11th-fewest pressures (191). It also didn't allow a sack in four-straight games from Weeks 14-17, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and marking the first time accomplishing the feat since 2013.
If the Rams don't re-sign Jackson, the draft could be one path for finding a replacement – offensive tackle has been the most popular position for them at 26th overall in early mock draft projections.
