The Los Angeles Rams suffered a scare earlier this summer when they learned that left tackle Alaric Jackson is dealing with blood clots in his leg.
Jackson felt something off during offseason workouts and underwent testing, which revealed the blood clots. He previously dealt with the condition in 2022 and was forced to miss the final nine games of that season.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said the team is focused on Jackson making a full recovery, but didn’t rule out the 27-year-old potentially playing in Week 1.
While that appears unlikely at this point, McVay said Jackson is making great progress and hopes to get him back on the practice field in the near future, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
McVay also said Monday that offensive lineman Alaric Jackson (blood clots) is “on track” with his rehab. Jackson is still taking things week-to-week, and is restricted to what he can do in team drills, but “is in great shape right now.”
“He’s able to be physically active, there are just some restrictions in regard to being able to participate in some of the full-team activities,” McVay said. “I couldn’t be more impressed with how he’s handling this situation. What a great job he’s done taking care of himself. He’s added good muscle. He’s taken great care of himself and I think he’s in great physical and mental shape and we’ll look forward to getting him out on the field sooner than later.”
If Jackson is unable to go in the Rams’ regular season opener against the Houston Texans, they will likely turn to veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries, who was signed to a one-year contract during the offseason.
Jackson remains a big part of the Rams’ plans as they signed him to a three-year, $57 million contract extension during the offseason.
He has appeared in 41 games over the last four seasons while developing into one of the best left tackles in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford returns to Rams practice
In other positive injury news, Matthew Stafford returned to practice on Monday for the first time since minicamp in June.
Stafford not only participated in individual drills, but was on the field for the team practices as well.
That was somewhat surprising considering Stafford has been out for nearly two months because of an aggravated disc in his back, but a good sign of the progress he is making.
Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke to reporters and said they are still taking things slowly with Stafford, but were encouraged to see him back on the field.
