Grading the Rams' first seven (re-)signings in 2024 free agency

Rams extend 2nd-Round Qualifying Tender Offer for OT Alaric Jackson

The debate over how to extend offensive tackle Alaric Jackson seemed like filler to me. Added rhetoric to create background noise on the topic simply intended to break the utter silence. How so?

The 2023 NFL season was more like a rookie season for Alaric Jackson than not. He was designated as the team's starting left tackle, arguably the most important position on the offensive line, for the first time in his NFL career. Now, I cannot lie. Alaric Jackson became one of my favorite players on the Rams roster in early 2022 when he responded to questions about his official weight. But what locked him in was after he took to social media to lay out two OL configurations in 2023.

I was not 100 percent sold on either of his iterations. But what I love about the effort is that long before he was named the starting left tackle for the LA Rams offensive line, he had already begun to claim ownership of the entire groups performance, and he put himself out there to defend his teammates and reassure fans that better times were on the horizon.

He was right. They were.

Alaric Jackson is a powerful offensive tackle. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 330 pounds (he told us himself), he is brutally effective on the offensive line. Due to early injuries in 2023, and an unsettled offensive line until the mid-point in the season, fans did not see the optimal performance on the offensive line until later in the season.

Simply from the perspective that the team has a starting left tackle who was undrafted is mindblowing. We loved him then, and we love him more now. He does not seek the spotlight. He is not looking to be interviewed, praised, or even featured in articles. He is an approachable, personable gentleman off the football field that I enjoy interacting with.

But when he is on the football field, he is a snarling block-happy offensive tackle who does not rest at blocking or looking for defenders to block until the whistle blows the play dead. He is going to up his game in 2024. And at a cost of just under $5 million, he is arguably one of the best bargains on this roster, if not for the entire NFL.

Our Grade: A+

Overall, the Rams are attacking the 2024 NFL Free Agency market aggressively. This is a team that has abandoned considerations for 2024 compensatory picks, and is laying it all out there here and now. While the team has not traded picks for game-changing players, the team has committed significant 2024 salary cap dollars to sign veteran players to vital roles on the team.

Our Overall Offseason Grade: B+