It's been a challenging season for Rams lineman Jonah Jackson. Since signing a three-year, $51 million contract in March, Jackson has played just three games for Los Angeles.
He struggled with a shoulder injury in the offseason, which aggravated in Week 2, and is now a .
Jackson was eliminated from the starting lineup in Week 11 after returning from injured reserve for just one game, and it is unclear whether he will ever come off the bench again this season. There's no question that his shoulder injury negatively impacted his first year with the Rams, limiting his reps in practice and in games.
According to Sean McVay, this is the main reason why Jackson has struggled so far. However, McVay isn't giving up on Jackson just yet. 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 a matter of just getting back to playing football,” McVay said when asked if Jackson was still dealing with his shoulder injury. “Unlike Steve [Avila]Steve at least had an offseason and training camp. Jonah was having none of it. I still have a lot of confidence in the type of player he is, in the type of man he is, in the way he is wired, but it's all about getting opportunities to play football . It's hard to get better at football without playing it. He just hasn't had many opportunities, not to mention that while there are some similarities, there are also some differences in the intricacies of techniques and the fundamentals we ask for in order to feel comfortable playing with the man next to us do whether that's a tackle or a guard. Or do you play center or guard? I don't think that's a problem, it's more about being able to continue to improve and having the opportunity to do so. I have great confidence in him that he will succeed.”
The Rams are in a tough spot with Jackson. Ideally, they'd like to play a guy they gave a $25.5 million guarantee to just eight months ago, but he struggled to get back into the starting lineup two weeks ago. Limmer has clearly outperformed him, and with the Rams in the midst of a playoff race, they can't afford to bring in a worse player just because he's well paid.
The problem is that Jackson can't improve or improve his chemistry with the Rams' other linemen unless he plays on Sundays or gets first-team reps in practice. So in all likelihood, the Rams will stick with centerback Avila, Limmer and Kevin Dotson until there is an injury or the situation needs to be turned on its head.
It's not a huge financial commitment to have a $51 million player on the bench, but the Rams need to use their best players regardless of their contracts.