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When the Los Angeles Rams signed Jonah Jackson earlier this year, it was supposed to seriously upgrade the offensive line.
After playing fairly well with Pasadena native Coleman Shelton at center in 2024, the Rams decided that moving Steve Avila to center, a position he played in college, would unlock even more opportunities to get stouter in the trenches and believed that taking a player like Jackson from the Detroit Lions could unlock just that.
Unfortunately, with Jackson gone, the Lions are having an all-time great season, and the Rams' line has fallen apart, though more so due to a steady string of injuries than the individual play of any one lineman.
So what gives? Did Jackson come back a bit too early from injury? Was his absence from Week 11 purely precautionary? Or did he simply lose his job to Beaux Limmer, fair and square? Well, While Sean McVay had plenty of nice things to say about Limmer, he also had things to say about Jackson, too, and why his addition hasn't really gone as planned versus fan expectations.
Sean McVay reveals the key to Jonah Jackson getting back on the field
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After being benched for Limmer in Week 11, McVay was asked why Jackson wasn't playing, be it because of injury or another issue. While McVay didn't get into too much detail, he did note that the OSU product simply hasn't played enough in the Rams system, which had made it hard for him to get into a rhythm.
“I think it's just getting back into just playing football. 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,” McVay noted to reporters.
“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.”
Coming to LA after four years in Detroit, Jackson missed time over the summer due to injury and then fractured his scapula in Week 2, which landed him on IR and out of action until Week 10. With just 200 snaps as a member of the Rams on his resume, it's true that Jackson hasn't played a lot, but if he is stuck on the bench until the next injury, one has to wonder if he will be able to get more comfortable without actually getting into the trenches.
