Rams Tendering LT Alaric Jackson

[Kupped]

Well, you're choosing to disagree strictly to disagree, Because if a team offers him 3 for 30, they think he's worth a 2nd rounder. Its not opinion, it's fact. That's how RFA tenders work

My misunderstanding.

 

[DzRams]

If a team thinks he's worth 3 and 30, he's certainly worth a 2nd to them

If a team offers him 3 for 30, they think he’s worth a 2nd.
I don’t know what is so difficult to understand

Because he’s a restricted free agent.
And if a team offers him 3 for 30, they would be well aware that if the Rams decline to match, it costs them a 2nd rounder.
Hence, if a team offers him 3 for 30, they think he’s worth a 2nd.
Pretty simple really

I figured out where the misunderstanding is. I disagreed with your first statement above. Theoretically, a team could think he's worth 3 for 30 with no draft comp or a 2nd with a low salary, but not feel he's worth both so therefore not feel inclined to make an offer.

On your second comment, you changed the language to say "If a team offers..." Making an offer to a RFA is different than just thinking he's worth 3 for 30.

I agree with your last statement. IF a team made an offer for 3/30, they also feel he's worth a 2nd. My point throughout this interaction has been to assert that there is NO team who will think he's worth an offer of 3/30 b/c a 2nd is too steep a price to pay.

 

[So Ram]

I figured out where the misunderstanding is. I disagreed with your first statement above. Theoretically, a team could think he's worth 3 for 30 with no draft comp or a 2nd with a low salary, but not feel he's worth both so therefore not feel inclined to make an offer.

On your second comment, you changed the language to say "If a team offers..." Making an offer to a RFA is different than just thinking he's worth 3 for 30.

I agree with your last statement. IF a team made an offer for 3/30, they also feel he's worth a 2nd. My point throughout this interaction has been to assert that there is NO team who will think he's worth an offer of 3/30 b/c a 2nd is too steep a price to pay.

What’s your prediction ?

 

[DzRams]

What’s your prediction ?

He'll play for the Rams in 2024. That was almost 100% assured the moment they tendered him at the 2nd round level.

 

[So Ram]

He'll play for the Rams in 2024. That was almost 100% assured the moment they tendered him at the 2nd round level.

So The Rams will get Alaric Jackson for $4.95 million 1 year ?

Original round tender means they don't expect him to be on the team next year since he was an UDFA. It means they will draft his replacement this year as I've always thought they would. IMO the Rams might have thought to give him one more year before they make a decision, but his attitude last year soured their opinion of him. They will see him simply as a future comp pick. If a teams makes him an offer it means Noteboom at LT this year as they aren't likely to match it.

His lack of improvement sealed his fate as far as the Rams are concerned. Too bad because he destroyed his own career. Other teams are likely to see this as a negative, as teams don't give up on a LT unless there are some real reasons. The Rams could take a LT in the second round in the same way they got Avila.

oldnitdeadyet - do you still believe this ? Wonder how that soured taste The Rams have on him right now ? Good call on Noteboom,but he needed to take less money to save face.

 

[dieterbrock]

I figured out where the misunderstanding is. I disagreed with your first statement above

Or you could just say, "my bad"
Context- is important
I responded to another post who suggested the value of 3 for 30 as a contract offer. I didnt change my point one bit.

 

[snackdaddy]

He'll play for the Rams in 2024. That was almost 100% assured the moment they tendered him at the 2nd round level.

That is what I'm thinking. To me he's a very serviceable left tackle. Not top tier but was part of the equation on a line that performed well after the bye. He's probably not the cornerstone left tackle teams want but for now he'll get the job done.

 

[Noregar]

I really like Alaric Jackson; I just don't think he is elite. I am sort of old school in that I like my team's Left tackles to be one of the elite players along the line. In all 5 of the Rams Super Bowl appearances, they had elite top-end left tackles. They had Orland Pace (1999 & 2001), Andrew Whitworth (2018 & 2021) and Doug France (1979). Maybe with the Rams philosophical shift of investing more heavily on the interior of the offensive line, they can be super bowl contenders with just a solid starting caliber left tackle like AJ. I do not want to sound like an AJ detractor. To me he is bit of a Unicorn, being that he is an UDFA who is now starting at LT in the NFL. I give kudos to AJ for working his butt off to elevate himself from the ranks of the undrafted free agent class to become a competent starting tackle in the NFL. Translation, finding a starting caliber left tackle from the undrafted ranks is very very rare.

Below is a pretty good scouting profile for Jackson for when he was coming out of college.

Strengths: Positional blocker who excels when he allows his athleticism to take over. Shows the speed to recover and slide back into his set but gets too narrow-based. Has jackhammer hands and delivers constant hits until the play is over. Has light, quick feet sliding but only adequate overall burst. Good natural athleticism, knee bend and fluid lateral movement to mirror college defensive ends. Has the agility, technique, and size to contribute early in his professional career. Quick, active hands to latch on to defenders. Tall, reliable blocker with long arms, good agility and a solid initial punch. Knocks rushers off their route.

Weaknesses: Needs to prove his worth in a straight-ahead running game. Not explosive in any aspect. Lacks the quickness to redirect and handle cut blocks. Unable to complete most combo blocks. Gets an initial shove at the line but doesn't move the second target. Poor body control and lacks accuracy blocking on the move. A short-area blocker with limited range and doesn't consistently get to the second level. Will play undisciplined at times, especially in space. Lacks a finishing attitude. Will punch at smaller defenders instead of latching on and is more of a mauler than mover in the running game. Can improve maintaining outside leverage when doubling the nose. Ducks his head and gets too upright, causing him to fall off second-level blocks. An adequate initial burst should be far better and isn't good enough to consistently hold out elite pass rushers.

Jackson has reworked his body and improved on his weaknesses, but IMHO he is not dominant in the run game, he is still not an explosive player, and he still lacks a finishing attitude.

Hopefully the Rams retain Jackson for the bargain rate of his second-round tender in 2024 but here is the rub, he is still not yet signed and next year he will want to get paid (assuming he plays on the 1-year tender) and rightfully so. Do the Rams invest big $$$ in 2025 and beyond for a mid-range left tackle or do they look to upgrade? I do not know….

Jackson still has another year to prove himself in a contract year(Maybe) and move into the ranks of the upper tier tackles.

Let’s hope he does so with the Rams.

 

[DzRams]

Or you could just say, "my bad"
Context- is important
I responded to another post who suggested the value of 3 for 30 as a contract offer. I didnt change my point one bit.

I would gladly say "my bad" if it was only my bad. I didn't see your other response. Just the words that you used on the initial post I responded to. I see now that your point didn't change but your language did and words matter. You could acknowledge that.

 

[DzRams]

That is what I'm thinking. To me he's a very serviceable left tackle. Not top tier but was part of the equation on a line that performed well after the bye. He's probably not the cornerstone left tackle teams want but for now he'll get the job done.

I agree that he is serviceable or average right now. I would add though that he's improving. His 2nd half last year was much better than the 1st half.

I think there is a chance that the Rams will extend him at some point before he hits free agency like they did with Noteboom.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I agree that he is serviceable or average right now. I would add though that he's improving. His 2nd half last year was much better than the 1st half.

I think there is a chance that the Rams will extend him at some point before he hits free agency like they did with Noteboom.

Scouts like to say, "is the arrow pointing up, flat, or down?"

I think the arrow is up with Jackson but reasonable people can argue over how much.

 

[Kupped]

Or you could just say, "my bad"
Context- is important
I responded to another post who suggested the value of 3 for 30 as a contract offer. I didnt change my point one bit.

I think your phrasing helped with the confusion here.

If a team thinks he's worth 3 and 30, he's certainly worth a 2nd to them

That's not.. "if a team offers him 3 and 30 they think he's worth a second"

A team could think he's worth 3 and 30.. but not make an offer because they don't think he's worth the money plus a pick.

That's where the confusion came in on my end.

 

[Memphis Ram]

I agree that he is serviceable or average right now. I would add though that he's improving. His 2nd half last year was much better than the 1st half.

I think there is a chance that the Rams will extend him at some point before he hits free agency like they did with Noteboom.

It's probably because he was playing through a thigh or hamstring injury suffered early in the year.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I really like Alaric Jackson; I just don't think he is elite. I am sort of old school in that I like my team's Left tackles to be one of the elite players along the line. In all 5 of the Rams Super Bowl appearances, they had elite top-end left tackles. They had Orland Pace (1999 & 2001), Andrew Whitworth (2018 & 2021) and Doug France (1979). Maybe with the Rams philosophical shift of investing more heavily on the interior of the offensive line, they can be super bowl contenders with just a solid starting caliber left tackle like AJ. I do not want to sound like an AJ detractor. To me he is bit of a Unicorn, being that he is an UDFA who is now starting at LT in the NFL. I give kudos to AJ for working his butt off to elevate himself from the ranks of the undrafted free agent class to become a competent starting tackle in the NFL. Translation, finding a starting caliber left tackle from the undrafted ranks is very very rare.

Below is a pretty good scouting profile for Jackson for when he was coming out of college.

Strengths: Positional blocker who excels when he allows his athleticism to take over. Shows the speed to recover and slide back into his set but gets too narrow-based. Has jackhammer hands and delivers constant hits until the play is over. Has light, quick feet sliding but only adequate overall burst. Good natural athleticism, knee bend and fluid lateral movement to mirror college defensive ends. Has the agility, technique, and size to contribute early in his professional career. Quick, active hands to latch on to defenders. Tall, reliable blocker with long arms, good agility and a solid initial punch. Knocks rushers off their route.

Weaknesses: Needs to prove his worth in a straight-ahead running game. Not explosive in any aspect. Lacks the quickness to redirect and handle cut blocks. Unable to complete most combo blocks. Gets an initial shove at the line but doesn't move the second target. Poor body control and lacks accuracy blocking on the move. A short-area blocker with limited range and doesn't consistently get to the second level. Will play undisciplined at times, especially in space. Lacks a finishing attitude. Will punch at smaller defenders instead of latching on and is more of a mauler than mover in the running game. Can improve maintaining outside leverage when doubling the nose. Ducks his head and gets too upright, causing him to fall off second-level blocks. An adequate initial burst should be far better and isn't good enough to consistently hold out elite pass rushers.

Jackson has reworked his body and improved on his weaknesses, but IMHO he is not dominant in the run game, he is still not an explosive player, and he still lacks a finishing attitude.

Hopefully the Rams retain Jackson for the bargain rate of his second-round tender in 2024 but here is the rub, he is still not yet signed and next year he will want to get paid (assuming he plays on the 1-year tender) and rightfully so. Do the Rams invest big $$$ in 2025 and beyond for a mid-range left tackle or do they look to upgrade? I do not know….

Jackson still has another year to prove himself in a contract year(Maybe) and move into the ranks of the upper tier tackles.

Let’s hope he does so with the Rams.

Very good in pass pro below average run blocker. Orlando Pace was outstanding at Pass pro but not at run blocking. Protecting the QBs blind side is most important.

AJ seemed to improve his run blocking last year.

The rest of the line is good enough to have an average OLT, which could save the Rams cap space at what is usually a huge cap hit position

 

[Kupped]

Very good in pass pro below average run blocker. Orlando Pace was outstanding at Pass pro but not at run blocking. Protecting the QBs blind side is most important.

AJ seemed to improve his run blocking last year.

The rest of the line is good enough to have an average OLT, which could save the Rams cap space at what is usually a huge cap hit position

And it’s hard and expensive to fill that position with just competent play.

 

[ReekofRams]

Alaric Jackson and Ronnie Rivers have officially signed their contracts according to the Rams website.

 

[Merlin]

Very good in pass pro below average run blocker. Orlando Pace was outstanding at Pass pro but not at run blocking. Protecting the QBs blind side is most important.

AJ seemed to improve his run blocking last year.

The rest of the line is good enough to have an average OLT, which could save the Rams cap space at what is usually a huge cap hit position

Yeah there should be a nice interior pocket for Stafford to step up into. But where things get interesting with AJ is that he will require a contract.

Trying to read the tea leaves on this from the perspective of the moves, it looks like they are positioned to draft their LT. Because their moves in paying two OGs insinuates they think they will have a cheap young LT for a few years into the future. But of course they may simply like the rough numbers they are hearing from AJ's camp and think they can ink him. I sort of doubt that but maybe they can get lucky there.

Bottom line for me is Jackson is not good enough to pay top LT money to. I have this persistent concern with him for some reason that he's going to have medical problems and shit the moment he gets inked. Just an instinctive thing for me with him, so my own preference is that a stud LT falls to us at 19. And if not then maybe take a project type in round two who you think can be ready after a one year redshirt behind Jackson.

 

[PhillyRam]

Very good in pass pro below average run blocker. Orlando Pace was outstanding at Pass pro but not at run blocking. Protecting the QBs blind side is most important.

AJ seemed to improve his run blocking last year.

The rest of the line is good enough to have an average OLT, which could save the Rams cap space at what is usually a huge cap hit position

It does seem though that he has to fight and claw to keep Stafford clean... seems like he has little room for error as opposed to top caliber LTs.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yeah there should be a nice interior pocket for Stafford to step up into. But where things get interesting with AJ is that he will require a contract.

Trying to read the tea leaves on this from the perspective of the moves, it looks like they are positioned to draft their LT. Because their moves in paying two OGs insinuates they think they will have a cheap young LT for a few years into the future. But of course they may simply like the rough numbers they are hearing from AJ's camp and think they can ink him. I sort of doubt that but maybe they can get lucky there.

Bottom line for me is Jackson is not good enough to pay top LT money to. I have this persistent concern with him for some reason that he's going to have medical problems and shit the moment he gets inked. Just an instinctive thing for me with him, so my own preference is that a stud LT falls to us at 19. And if not then maybe take a project type in round two who you think can be ready after a one year redshirt behind Jackson.

Yeah. I’ve said the same thing recently on other threads. A rookie OLT gets them past the two big guard contracts and lines them up for Paying Avila and then the rookie OLT in year 5. They can’t pay everybody on the Oline all at once.

For this reason, I think Mims would have to be in consideration by Snead. He has a Trent Williams type of ceiling imo. I wouldn’t be disappointed with a pick like that. OLT is as much of a prime position as edge rusher. If they lock up their next Pace, or Big Whit for ten+ years, it would be hard to complain.

On the other side of that, if they could get Aleric for less than a top five OLT, that would be a win also.

At least drafting an OLT now, would give them insurance against failure, because they have Jackson under contract and could resign him if needed. If a newly drafted OLT did pan out, with Noteboom still around, AJ could be trade bait before the deadline and net them a decent pick for 2024.

So there are some real pluses to drafting an OLT at 19. The only negative is that it doesn’t address the most glaring need, which is defense.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

It does seem though that he has to fight and claw to keep Stafford clean... seems like he has little room for error as opposed to top caliber LTs.

To some degree, yes. Hes not at the top of the league. With two good guards and a good center I think it can cover up some of his weaknessses.

Another angle is that the Rams could get out of the Jonah Jackson contract after 2025. If a rookie OLT took over for Aleric, then they could try to sign AJ as a top backup like Noteboom and then move him to OLG for 2026.