The Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line has been in a state of flux this season due to several injuries and Alaric Jackson’s two-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
No other details on the suspension were given at the time, but the NFL’s personal conduct policy applies to a player’s public image and personal life, and prohibits conduct that could endanger players, damage the league’s reputation, or bring discredit to the sport.
Rams head coach Sean McVay also didn’t disclose much when discussing Jackson’s suspension earlier this month.
Jackson is now set to return for the Rams’ home opener against the San Francisco 49ers this week but declined to say why he was suspended when speaking to reporters, via Adam Grosbard of the Southern California News Group:
“That’s behind us now, I’m keeping it in-house right now,” Jackson said. “I was definitely selfish, but it’s behind me now and we’re going to move forward with it.”
Jackson said he found out about the league investigation “a while back,” but he did not offer a timeline of the situation. He said McVay and General Manager Les Snead were supportive of him following the suspension, and that he understood why the NFL handed out the penalty.
The Rams initially planned to fill the void at left tackle with Joe Noteboom, but he went down to an ankle injury in Week 1. A.J. Arcuri filled in for him before Warren McClendon Jr. got the start in Week 2 and struggled mightily.
Jackson admitted it was hard to watch the team go through three different left tackles but is happy to be back now:
“It was definitely tough,” Jackson said of watching that. “I felt bad about it, but it’s behind us now and we’re here today.”
Jackson’s return should provide a massive boost to an offensive line that has decimated by injuries in the early going. With Rob Havenstein returning from an ankle injury of his own last week, the team is set to have both of their starting tackles against the 49ers.
The Rams re-signed Jackson to a one-year restricted tender worth $4.89 million during the offseason. He originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and started in 15 games last year.
Rams roster moves
The Rams placed offensive lineman Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and defensive back John Johnson III (shoulder) on injured reserve, but chose not to do so with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who injured his ankle in Week 2.
Kupp not going on IR is a good sign, although he is still expected to miss a few games at the very least.
