Alaric Jackson could still face suspension to begin Rams' season

Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson will not face criminal charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence case, but he may still be suspended. ESPN's Sara Barshop reported Tuesday that Jackson's case has been assigned by the Los Angeles attorney's office to "pre-filing diversion, an alternative available to eligible individuals that is an alternative to misdemeanor criminal prosecution."

A diversion program would not clear Jackson under the rules of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The policy explicitly includes language indicating that a diversion program can still trigger a violation, notes Mike Florio of NBC.

If Jackson is suspended, the question will be for how long. He was previously suspended two games, in 2024, for violating the personal conduct policy a first time. Florio also points out that since Jackson's case falls under the category of domestic violence, a six-game suspension would be the minimum ban under policy terms for a second violation.

Jackson may still be unavailable to start the season

Jackson's situation has developed slowly since he was first arrested on June 8. First, it was announced that he would not face felony charges. Then, all charges were dropped. Now, were he to participate in a diversion program, he could avoid prosecution for a misdemeanor. 

As stated, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of a suspension. If Jackson misses time early this season, the Rams would obviously need to secure a replacement for the three-year starter. That could come via free agency, depending on when Jackson's case is resolved and whether there are still viable targets available, or the team could opt to throw rookie Keagen Trost into the fire. 

In that scenario, it would make the most sense to transition projected starting right tackle Warren McClendon to the left side, allowing Trost to settle in where he played most of his senior year in college, at Missouri. 

Even in that case, Los Angeles could look to add veteran depth to stabilize the depth chart if Jackson's potential suspension were to extend beyond a couple of games.

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