McVay called Jackson’s situation ‘really unfortunate’ but says he’s ‘doing well’
Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson received some scary news recently when it was discovered that he has blood clots in his leg. It’s the second time since 2022 that he’s dealt with blood clots, raising questions about his status for the upcoming season.
The Rams have put together a contingency plan in the meantime by signing veteran D.J. Humphries, but the hope is that Jackson can suit up and play this season; he missed the last nine games of the 2022 season following his diagnosis that year.
Sean McVay provided an update on Jackson’s health from Maui on Tuesday, saying that while the young left tackle didn’t make the trip to Hawaii, he is “doing well” back home in Detroit, where he’s getting treatment.
“It’s really unfortunate,” McVay said. “He is such a stud and what Alaric has done and what he has been through, you go back to the ‘22 season and he had these blood clots and you know when you hear that, it’s such a serious thing and you’ve got to get on the appropriate medicine.”
Doctors found the blood clots after Jackson was feeling “some things in his lower leg,” which prompted him to go get a scan.
“What I do think is great is he was able to communicate, he was feeling some things in his lower leg and he ended up going and getting a scan and it revealed that that was the case,” McVay added.
The Rams are focused primarily on making sure Jackson has a full recovery before thinking about the football side, and it sounds like the training staff and doctors have a good plan in place already as he works toward getting healthy again.
“There needs to be a lot of discussion and dialogue with him and with the doctors about, most importantly, what’s best for him as a human being, and then you talk about football after that,” McVay said. “But what we are grateful for is that we were able to identify this based on his communication and get him on the appropriate medicine to make sure that he’s as healthy as possible.”
McVay expects to have “a lot more information” to share on Jackson’s status once the Rams return for training camp in July, but for now, he knows Jackson is in good spirits and is in frequent communication with doctors and the Rams’ medical staff as they track his progress.
The Rams are still gathering information because even though Jackson has dealt with this medical scare before, each diagnosis is different. McVay deferred to head trainer Reggie Scott and Jackson himself when asked about this situation compared to the one in 2022.
“You pray for him to be able to have a healthy, safe recovery,” McVay said. “And we’re really just taking it a day at a time with him. There’s a lot of examples of people that have had situations like this, but they’re all still so uniquely independent in their own right. And so we’re gathering information.”
Jackson, 26, signed a $57.8 million extension with the Rams this offseason, keeping him in Los Angeles as the team’s left tackle and Matthew Stafford’s blindside protector. He’s been a cog in the offensive line for the last few years after going undrafted in 2021, exceeding all expectations since coming into the NFL four years ago.
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