The Los Angeles Rams got good news on the injury front Monday, with head coach Sean McVay reporting that the entire roster is practicing ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium.
Greg Beacham of the Associated Press tweeted, “The Rams are all healthy and practicing today, Sean McVay says. That includes Alaric Jackson and also rookie Josaiah Stewart, who is out of the concussion protocol and ready to go.
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The expectation is that Matthew Stafford will start at quarterback, and the plan is for Alaric Jackson to start at left tackle on Sunday.
Stafford, 37, has been gradually ramping back into practice after missing training camp and several weeks due to a back issue. McVay sounded confident in his quarterback’s readiness. “He’ll be good,” McVay said during a closed no-pads practice videoconference.
Left tackle Alaric Jackson, who signed a $35 million extension in March, also took part in practice Monday for the first time since being diagnosed with blood clots in his legs in June. Jackson, who previously dealt with blood clots in 2022, had been participating in individual drills and jog-throughs prior to Monday’s full-team session.
“He earned the right to be in the position where you pay him — it was a big priority for us to get him back,” McVay said. “He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go. This was always the end goal in mind — is to be ready to go against the Texans.”
To manage Jackson’s health concerns, the Rams signed veteran tackle D.J. Humphries and have depth with Warren McClendon Jr. and David Quessenberry available if needed. But McVay remained optimistic about Jackson starting at left tackle.
“He’s taken great care of himself, and he’s put himself in a rare position that I do believe to step in and play at a good clip,” McVay said. “There’s nothing like actually playing real football … but [Monday] was a great step in the right direction.”
With Stafford and Jackson both cleared to start, the Rams are moving into Week 1 with cautious optimism, hoping to get their top players fully on track as they chase another Super Bowl run.