LA Rams sign FA OC Drake Jackson to 2022 futures contract.

There are many factors that will be weighed when the LA Rams go down the projected free agency list. Of course, among those factors, performance will be given significant weight. But there will be other factors as well. Durability is a big factor, particularly at a position that depends upon consistency.  Depth at a position will also be weighed.

Alternative options will enter the conversation as well.  If the LA Rams believe that other options are available, the team will allow a veteran to seek his next contract elsewhere, just as the team had done so with Austin Blythe in the 2021 NFL Free Agency market.

The LA Rams face that same amount of uncertainty after the season ends for this year. Not only will starting offensive center Brian Allen’s contract likely expire but so will the contract of backup offensive center Coleman Shelton.  With no other center on the roster with any playing experience, the LA Rams were, unfortunately, painting themselves into a corner.

Rams center position remains a huge question mark

The 2022 NFL Draft is loaded with offensive tackles, and the supply of interior offensive linemen (not offensive centers) is pretty deep as well. Both positions could be addressed in the 2022 NFL Draft, despite the fact that seven of the team’s eight draft picks fall on Day 3.

Unfortunately, the offensive center is a critical position that cannot be filled with on-the-job training from any ole offensive lineman. The ability to hike the football and instantly engage blocking is something that requires years to master.

The Rams learned their lesson the hard way when they attempted to move offensive guard Austin Corbett to the center spot, and backfill the right guard with offensive lineman Bobby Evans. That was all well and good until the pads went on. Then, it became evident that not only was Bobby Evans not going to work out at the guard position, but Austin Corbett is a much better NFL offensive guard than the center. And so, the Rams backtracked and reinserted former starter Brian Allen into the offensive center spot.

While he started the season well, Allen has struggled to remain healthy and sustain that early-season level of proficiency. With free agency approaching, the Rams need alternatives.

Expiration date? 2022

I’m not sure how long it will take the Rams fans to forgive the front office for passing up a chance to draft offensive center Creed Humphrey, but that moment has not arrived just yet.  We had Humphrey mocked to the LA Rams at 57.  But as often is the case for offensive linemen and the LA Rams draft class, ne’er the twain shall meet.

As a result, the Rams entered the season knowing full well the fact that all three options at the offensive center position were not under contract with the team in 2022. Not only is that challenging in terms of preparing someone to take over the job next year, but it completely blows any advantage the team may wish to hold in contract negotiations.

COVID outbreak holds a silver lining

While the Rams clearly missed an opportunity to add a young and talented offensive lineman to the roster in the 2021 NFL Draft, other options presented themselves through the course of the season. One such opportunity occurred when the Detroit Lions waived undrafted rookie center, Drake Jackson.

Jackson was a rather well-regarded offensive center who was considered to be a late Day 3 prospect. Unfortunately, he did not hear his name called in the 2021 NFL Draft and signed on with the Detroit Lions. He was given a chance with both the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots, but he found it difficult to catch on to any team roster as he jumped onboard well past the start of training camp.

He eventually was signed to the LA Rams roster when the team suffered a crippling outbreak of COVID-19 among the players. In fact, he was one of nine such players added. Of course, under the circumstances, the coaching staff was less interested in assessing future potential on the roster than simply trying to crash course well enough to get a team on the football field.

But in less than two weeks’ time, Rams players began to test negatively, were restored to the roster, and the team no longer needed the services of so many emergency signings. Drake Jackson was released, and the Rams ended up no closer to having a 2022 center than before.

Welcome back, Drake

Well, that’s been addressed now, as the team had announced the (re-) signing of offensive center Drake Jackson to a Reserve/Future contract. If you recognize that name, you are good.  It seems that by making this move, the LA Rams are deliberately resolving the ‘no center for 2022’ issue.

Perhaps even more promising is the fact that the Rams auditioned Jackson for two weeks, and have now gone out of their way to ensure that he will be available to the club for the 2022 NFL Season.

So what? Well, perhaps the biggest takeaway is the fact that the Rams will not be depending upon drafting an offensive center with relatively few and definitely weak draft picks. Instead, the team has added a player with who the coaches are quite familiar, and who has had positive statements made about him throughout the draft and his rookie season.

But there are more reasons than just complimentary press. Let’s dig at the offensive position a bit more strategically?

Coleman Shelton starter, Drake Jackson backup?

The LA Rams will not have unlimited funds to extend players in 2022, but I would be very surprised if the team did not attempt to bring back reserve offensive center Coleman Shelton. The team will most certainly not want to attempt a new season without a player who has snapped the ball to QB Matthew Stafford. Not only has Shelton done so, but he has gotten plenty of positives from HC Sean McVay when he has done so.

Shelton is a very athletic offensive center. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 299-pounds, he is a stalwart pass blocker. But he really kicks it into gear when given the chance to bowl over a defender in run blocking. Shelton is always eager to hit someone, and will often run 10 or 20 yards downfield on a running play in an attempt to get one more lick in.

The 6-foot-2 292-pound Jackson is ideally suited to that style of blocking. He too is very athletic and has already received a significant amount of praise in his rookie season, in spite of the fact that he struggled to find a team willing to take a chance on him.

Hopefully, both the LA Rams and Drake Jackson have found what they have been looking for. This one makes a ton of sense for both sides. At least, for now, the team does not have a glaring hole in the middle of the offensive line for the 2022 NFL Season.