The Los Angeles Rams invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason. In addition to re-signing right guard Kevin Dotson to a 3-year $48 million contract, they added left guard Jonah Jackson through free agency. They signed him to a 3-year $51 million deal.
These expenditures have made the offensive line one of the biggest areas of interest heading into the 2024 season. How will the league’s fourth-most-expensive offensive line payoff when the rubber meets the road?
According to the Rams longest-tenured player and right tackle, Rob Havenstein, Jackson is a great fit. Ahead of the kickoff to training camp, Havenstein was asked by the media scrum what Jackson has brought to the offensive line.
Rams Big Free Agent Addition Named Great Fit By Veteran O-lineman
“He’s been awesome. Jonah’s a great guy. Obviously, he’s played a lot of football at a really high level, so we’re excited to have him,” Havenstein responed, “[He was] limited in the spring, still coming off the injury. But, he’s a great guy, easy to talk to. He asks great great questions in the meeting room. You can tell football just kind of comes natural to him and then you pair that with the talent that he has, it’s just going to be a great fit.”
Added Context As To Why Jackson Was “Limited in the Spring”
Jackson suffered a minor meniscus tear in the Detroit Lions’ divisional-round playoff win over the Buccaneers, forcing him to miss the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers. The injury did require surgical repair. Jackson also missed three games in 2023 due to an ankle injury and one due to a wrist injury.
In the spring, Rams head coach Sean McVay commented on his injury status,
“We’re just being smart with him,” McVay said. “He had some things after the season that we’re just not quite ready for… He’s done a lot of stuff as it relates to just jog throughs, the mental stuff, making good progress, but when he’ll be able to take part in the full 11-on-11 stuff, we expect that to happen at some point this offseason but right now we want to be smart with him.”
Good Fit, Great News
The Rams invested heavily in the position because it is integral to their offensive plans. One, protecting Matthew Stafford is critical to the team’s success, but also to lean into a ground game that propelled them to the playoffs in the 2023 season.
Jackson’s addition marks another step toward creating a bigger, more physical offensive line — shifting away from more agile zone-blocking linemen to gap blockers. This makes his health and readiness to play come Week 1 of paramount importance.
Bring Jackson on also prompted, the second-year lineman, Steve Avila’s move to center. He played left guard during his rookie year.
