As minicamp nears, Rams hold more questions than answers over OL status

Question 6 - How quickly can Rams fans expect Alaric Jackson to be medically cleared?

The shocking and disappointing news that recently extended starting left tackle Alaric Jackson has caught both the team and fans by surprise. Alaric Jackson faced an unexplained blood clot ailment in 2022, forcing him to sit out the final nine games of the season on IR. Now that the medical condition has returned, there is a bit of uncertainty to the matter of when Jackson can be expected to return.

The truth is, nobody can say.

The Rams were pleased to learn that Alaric Jackson was able to return to the team without restrictions in 2023 and has played as the starting left tackle for the team over the past two seasons. But the re-emergence of the clotting issue complicates matters. For starters, the condition is treatable with blood thinners. But while those are administered, Jackson will be unable to participate as any nick or cut can trigger either a serious loss of blood or a new round of clotting.

But even after successfully being treated, physicians must now investigate further as to the cause of the ailment to return to Jackson. Until doctors can identify and treat the underlying cause, Jackson may be unable to secure medical clearance to return to football activities.

We know from the experience in 2022 that the medical condition takes no less than nine weeks. The actual treatment using VTE takes a minimum of three months. But it's a more likely scenario to allow at least 12 weeks for Jackson, or through mid-October, to be medically cleared. With the need to rejoin the team and reintegrate with his teammates, I would speculate by anticipating Jackson's return to the football field will be by early November.

Question 5 - How quickly can Rams fans expect Rob Havenstein to be medically cleared?

We have a stronger sense of veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein's timeline. because the player shared his expectations in late April 2025 with team reporter Wyatt Miller. In the interview, Havenstein shared that he had opted to have minor medical procedures performed on each shoulder in the offseason. While the procedures would limit his availability through OTAs, he expected to be a full participant by the time training camp arrived on the calendar.

"There was some junk in there that did not need to be in there, so they went in and grabbed the old butter knife and took it out. And nothing got fixed or repaired, so it was nothing like anything crazy like that, just had some wear and tear and (they) shaved it all down, gave me a couple new shoulders, feel pretty good."

Rob Havenstein

If you want to catch the entire video, you can click on this link here and queue the embedded video at the bottom of the article to the 45:50 time mark. Havenstein confessed that he would be working to restore his strength so that he would be ready to go by the time training camp returns.

Keep in mind that much of the offseason work is relatively ineffective for players who compete in the trenches until the pads go on and the practices involve live contact, but with blocking and tackling. As a veteran, Havenstein understood that he had a grace period in OTAs to heal up, and his durability has been shrinking in recent years. Curiously, he had shoulder work done, but much of his 2024 struggles seemed to occur elsewhere with his body.

Havenstein wants to play in 2025. He is rejecting the idea that he has diminished passion or physical ability. But as we have witnessed in the past, the Rams have to be prepared for unexpected injuries. Hopefully, Havenstein's availablity will not become an issue in 2025.