Rams starting right tackle Alaric Jackson limited at training camp with blood clots

LOS ANGELES— It was day two of training camp for the Los Angeles Rams on Friday afternoon at Loyola Marymount University, and you could feel the buzz as you pulled into the campus on LMU Drive.

As you pulled into fan parking—or in my case, media parking—you were greeted by a Rams training camp banner featuring Kyren Williams. The experience went beyond just watching the team practice. Fans could enjoy interactive elements, such as the Entry Experience, the lively Fan Zone, which featured kids playing flag football and running routes, and the Corona Beer Garden.

The Rams were with bucket hats and sun caps, as they still remain without pads, but the excitement and anticipation was still alive without the full contact, which won't come until Monday.

Now, with that being said, here are some notes from the second day of camp.

The Situation at Tackle

Rams starting right tackle Alaric Jackson, who was diagnosed with blood clots for the second time in his career, will be limited in camp to individual drills while being held out of the more physical offensive line drills. Head coach Sean McVay said they will monitor his progress to adapt his training regimen as needed, taking his progress "a day at a time."

Today, Jackson participated in their jog-through, which was a half-speed 11-on-11, mixing it in at right tackle with D.J. Humphries, who will likely get the first-team reps with Jackson dealing with his blood clots. 

Humphries, 31, is a nine-year pro who has started 100 games in his career, 70 of those games being at left tackle. Humphries is a serviceable backup and will be a solid starter until Jackson gets back on track to 100%, so for now you can pencil in Humphries as the starting tackle once they get to full pads, as Jackson's status for Week 1 against the Texans is still up in the air.

Limited Stafford Means Jimmy G Time

The Rams' starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, was absent on day two of camp, as he's dealing with back soreness going into year 17 that will keep him sidelined for the first five days of training camp. 

In his place with the first unit is backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is up there as one of the NFL's best backup QBs in the league with his resume, a Super Bowl appearance, a former All-Pro QB and a 43-21 record as a starter.

Jimmy Garoppolo took first-team reps as the starting quarterback on Friday but didn’t attempt a single pass during the jog-through session. That was a bit of a letdown, considering that you have a receiving duo of Davante Adams and Puka Nacua on the field. Instead, the offense focused on timing, formations, and running back handoffs—mainly getting a feel with Garoppolo under center.

The emphasis from Sean McVay was clear: communication. He was vocal throughout, addressing both the offense and defense as they worked on the right half of the field, with the first-team offense going up against the first-team defense.

Who is at Inside Linebacker?

Inside linebacker is arguably the Rams' biggest question mark heading into training camp. On day two, Omar Speights and Nate Landman were the side-by-side starting inside linebackers with the first-team defense. Landman was the mic linebacker as the only player on the field with a helmet, while at times Speights was talking to him through a walkie-talkie within plays.

Linebacker Troy Reeder also got some reps as the inside backer alongside Speights, who is also in the mix, along with rookie fifth-rounder Chris Paul Jr., at inside.

Speights racked up 67 tackles (fifth most) for the Rams last season in 17 games (10 starts). Landman comes to Los Angeles after three seasons with the Falcons, where he combined for 191 tackles in his last two seasons in Atlanta.