Pressure mounts on Rams to get this deal done, and it's not Matthew Stafford

Why should Rams extend Alaric Jackson quickly

When it comes to roster building for a chance to win a Super Bowl, chemistry is every bit as vital as skill. There is no doubt that Alaric Jackson is a productive but humble workhorse on the offensive line. When he starts, the Rams pass protection levels up, giving quarterback Matthew Stafford much more confidence in reading the football field before releasing the football.

Even now, as the Rams hope to lure Stafford back for the final two seasons on his current contract, extending Alaric Jackson has to be viewed as getting both sides that much closer to finding common ground. But let'd dig a bit deeper. Why should the Rams get a new deal done with Jackson quickl? Here's why:

(1) - Rams offensive line needs his dependable play on the blind side

When the 2024 NFL season opened, Alaric Jackson had to serve a two-game suspension. While Rob Havenstein was out in Week 1 in addition to Alaric Jackson, the Rams offensive line allowed seven quarterback sacks in those first two games without Jackson on the football field. Stafford would only be sacked 21 more times in his remaining 14 games with Jackson playing.

That's outstanding.

Alaric Jackson may have fought through an ankle injury in 2024 training camp, but he is a durable performer who gives no-fuss dependability to a group that needs to show a much higher level of continuity after several seasons of offensive linemen injuries. The question falls to a fundamental assessment: If not Alaric Jackson at left tackle, then who?

More Rams offseason news:

(2) - Rams have solid young core on OL with Alaric Jackson at LT

If you step back and view the Rams starting offensive linemen from the 2024 NFL season purely from an age of players, you will find that the team has a pretty solid core of young starters who will only develop together and improve over time. They are:

• LT Alaric Jackson - 26 years old
• LG Steve Avila - 25 years old
• C Beaux Limmer - 23 years old
• RG Kevin Dotson - 28 years old
• RT Rob Havenstein - 32 years old
• PLUS THESE KEY BACKUPS
• IOL Justin Dedich - 24 years old
• OT Warren McClendon Jr. - 23 years old
• IOL Jonah Jackson - 28 years old
• OT K.T. Leveston - 25 years old

If you apply the Goldilocks measure to the team's current offensive linemen, you will find that Alaric Jackson is neither too old nor too young. That is another way of saying that the guy is just right in terms of age, and he is almost surely about to hit the prime of his NFL career over the next several seasons.

While you may view the age of a player as the least characteristic to measure the value of a player, it is relevant in that the team wants to remain competitive in 2025 and beyond. By securing Alaric Jackson on a new multi-year deal, the team needn't focus on a starting left tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft or in free agency. That frees the team up to investigate other positions that could yield significant upgrades. Such as: