Alaric arrested again

You know how they say that players belong more in one era than another.

Alaric Jackson is an example.

He would have done much better in an era before they invented the cell phone.

from Nate Atkins, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7370864/2026/06/18/rams-alaric-jackson-suspension-paths-forward-mailbag/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.rFA.oyOa.BVaHn5qIQ1Gt

Is a trade for an offensive tackle a possibility?

If Jackson is out, can Warren McClendon Jr. play left tackle and Keagen Trost play right tackle?

ATKINS: There should be no surprise which player was asked about most in this week’s mailbag.

Alaric Jackson’s arrest last week on suspicion of felony domestic violence was major news, and it’s a serious situation, both legally and with respect to the health and well-being of the accuser.

It raises new concerns about the Rams’ floor for this all-in Super Bowl push.

I dove into the situation in some depth earlier this week, but what’s key to remember is that the NFL’s personal conduct policy does not have to wait on formal charges or convictions to bring a ruling. The league considers one of its aggravating factors to be violence toward women who are pregnant, which is what the accuser claimed in a document obtained by TMZ, a claim that has not been independently verified by The Athletic.

Past disciplinary history matters in this situation because the league escalates punishments on repeat offenders. Jackson was suspended for two games for an undisclosed incident under this policy in 2024. Last fall, a woman filed a lawsuit against Jackson alleging he recorded sexual acts with her on his phone without her consent, lied about deleting the video and used the video to taunt her. The lawsuit stated that the woman reported the incident to the NFL.

Jackson will get to share his side with the court and with the NFL, of course.

It’s impossible to project too much this early. The legal and personal matters will be addressed on their own timelines, and we won’t speculate further on them here. But from a roster standpoint, the Rams have to prepare for a few hypotheticals, given how critical Jackson and the position he plays are to the franchise and its future.

If Jackson is suspended, I see four potential paths:

They can ride it out with Jackson and trust their current depth to handle any games he might have to miss.
They can sign a different depth tackle option.
They can trade for a depth tackle option.
They can release Jackson and sign Taylor Decker.

Option 1 is the simplest but also the riskiest. David Quessenberry has not started a game at tackle since 2023, will turn 36 in August and did not get a look at either tackle spot last year when Jackson and Rob Havenstein had to miss time. Trost is a third-round rookie the Rams viewed as a utilityman more than a set tackle, and his college experience came primarily at right tackle. This option likely can work only with a minimal or no suspension.

Option 4 is the safest but by far the most expensive. Decker is a 2016 first-round pick and a 2024 Pro Bowler, and his relationship with Matthew Stafford is strong after he served as his blindside protector on the Detroit Lions from 2016 to 2020. But given that he asked for a release from the Lions ahead of a pay cut, it’s hard to envision this accomplished 32-year-old signing up to be a fill-in tackle on a fill-in salary. He will likely want a legitimate runway with a contender, and that exists for the postseason only if Jackson is suspended for the season or the Rams release him. A release would incur a $25.4 million cap hit this season with just $1.95 million in savings. If Decker were to sign for his previous annual value of $20 million, that would mean spending close to $45 million this season on a left tackle.

Options 2 and 3 are the middle ground. The free-agent market for tackles outside of Decker is predictably poor this time of year. The one option who appears potentially starter-worthy is Cam Robinson, who started 12 of 13 games with the Cleveland Browns last season. He is 30 years old with 114 career starts, but it’s worth noting that the Browns and Houston Texans both moved on from him as their left tackle in the past calendar year.

A trade could end up being the best blend of managing costs and raising the floor, but it will take the right match and the right cost for a Rams franchise that has already traded next year’s first- and third-round NFL Draft picks. The route here would be to target a player who needs a fresh start. That’s how the Lions handled an August injury to Decker when I covered them in 2017, and they wound up trading with the Rams for Greg Robinson as a six-game fill-in.

One trade option possibility is Dawand Jones of the Browns. He has talent and some risk with just 24 games played in three seasons, but it could work for a part-time arrangement.

I don’t see the Rams looking to McClendon at left tackle after he has shown he’s much more comfortable on the right side, and moving him could create two holes rather than one.

It’ll all come into focus whenever the NFL makes a ruling. But it’s going to be one of the biggest storylines for this team because the outcomes with Jackson can decide so much for Stafford and Ty Simpson, too.