Sean McVay will have to be patient.
The offensive line, which cost the Rams tens of millions of dollars to overhaul, is currently plagued by injuries as McVay gets his team ready for Sunday’s joint practice with the Chargers.
On Thursday, McVay announced that left guard Jonah Jackson would be “week to week” after suffering a shoulder injury on Tuesday. Left tackle Alaric Jackson remains out with an ankle injury, and on Thursday, right tackle Rob Havenstein left practice with an unspecified foot injury.
The Rams’ season opener isn’t until September 8 in Detroit, giving the injured linemen time to recover.
However, McVay does not play starters in preseason games, making joint practices with other teams crucial for evaluating the progress of the offense, defense, and special teams.
When the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford visit El Segundo to practice with the Chargers, who feature pass rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, they could potentially be without their three injured starting linemen.
Joe Noteboom has been filling in at left tackle, and Zach Thomas at left guard.
“We’ll be better when those guys are back, whenever that timetable is,” McVay said about the starters, “but in the meantime, we owe it to ourselves and the other guys to pour into them.”
After making the playoffs last season, the Rams invested millions in re-signing right guard Kevin Dotson (three years, $32 million guaranteed per Overthecap.com) and signed free-agent left guard Jonah Jackson (three years, $34 million guaranteed), which allowed them to move second-year pro Steve Avila from left guard to center.
Alaric Jackson, a restricted free agent, received a second-round tender costing the Rams $4.9 million.
Jonah Jackson’s injury seems to be the most serious.
Last season with the Detroit Lions, Jackson missed four games due to wrist and ankle injuries. He did not play in the NFC championship game because of a knee injury sustained in the divisional round.
During offseason workouts, Jonah Jackson did not participate in most on-field drills while recovering from knee surgery.
McVay mentioned that Jonah Jackson had his “best practice” before the shoulder injury occurred.
“I know he wants to be out here more than anybody, and he played great the other day,” McVay said. “He’s got a body of work — there’s a reason why we felt so strongly about adding him here, and this is another little temporary setback.”
In other news, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, who has been limited since the start of training camp due to a groin issue, participated in team drills. “You felt his presence, his communication, his ability to disrupt,” McVay said. The Rams have a day off on Friday and will practice on Saturday before practicing with the Chargers on Sunday in El Segundo.
