2nd Rams player joins Jimmy G in suspension, but there is a silver lining

Well, I posed the question earlier today regarding when would the LA Rams finally be able to suit everyone up and prepare for the 2024 NFL season. At the time, the most logical answer seemed to be on or about September 1, 2024. And while that is still one week away, it all seems to be cutting things a little too close. After all, the team will take on the Detroit Lions in Week 1 on the road, then return to the road to face the Arizona Cardinals and that oppressive desert heat in Week 2.

And the entire time, the Rams will not have an opportunity to get any support from veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the first two gams of the season. You see, he will be serving a two-game suspension, and will not be permitted to have any contact with the team over that period of time.

Today we have learned that he will not be serving his suspension alone. It' seems that starting left tackle Alaric Jackson will also be serving a two game suspension to open the 2024 NFL season.

Initially, that may seem like horrific luck for the team. But I think you may share a more optimistic view of this latest development after reading my reasoning:

The Silver Lining Playbook

If you are a negatively-charged person, someone who cites the negatives of any situation or scenario, then this news certainly rolls right into your wheelhouse. The team will need to go it without the primary backup quarterback, while also forcing veteran QB Matthew Stafford to stay upright and healthy behind a blind-side backup offensive tackle.

Yikes!

While that does seem like a recipe for disaster, let's think about this for a moment. The Rams face roster cuts that will hit deeply at some positions that are incredibly stacked with talent. But as of right now, the Rams initial roster will be composed of 53 players, TE Tyler Higbee on IR (out for a minimum of four games), DB Derion Kendrick (out for the season) and QB Jimmy Garoppolo (out for a two-game suspension).

While the team will now add LT Alaric Jackson to the exception list, as he serves out his two-game suspension, that has two benefits. For openers, it give Alaric Jackson two more weeks to fully heal from an ankle injury that has benched him for weeks. And the second bonus is that he will not count against the team's 53-man roster to open the season.

The team was already likely planning to start either swing tackle Joe Noteboom or Warren McClendon at left tackle to start the season if Jackson was not healthy enough to go. Now the team has an extra roster slot to carry added OL insurance, or simply thicken the depth elsewhere on the team.

It's rare for an NFL-imposed penalty to actually help a team out of a tight spot. But in this case, you can make an argument that is exactly what the NFL has done for the Rams. At least, you could convince me.

As always, thanks for reading.