The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran OT DJ Humphries yesterday. Humphries was a first round selection by the Arizona Cardinals in 2025 and played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
At first glance the Humphries signing seemed to be a depth-shoring move. That perspective seemed to shift on Friday with reports that blood clotting issues have resurfaced with starting left tackle Alaric Jackson—who signed a three-year, $57M deal with the Rams this offseason.
Jackson’s bout with blood clots first surfaced during his sophomore season in 2022. He played in eight games with six starts before sitting out the remainder of the year.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, “the belief is he’ll play in 2025” and “there are still questions”.
#Rams OT Alaric Jackson, a key member of the O-line who just signed an extension, is dealing with blood clots once again, per The Insiders. Similar to what he had in 2022.
While the belief is he’ll play in 2025, there are still questions. That explains the DJ Humphries signing. pic.twitter.com/H3KvgraB3P
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 13, 2025
While the starters along the offensive line seem stout for Los Angeles, Rob Havenstein and Jackson at tackles introduce layers of uncertainty with their injury history. The Rams will need to do all they can to keep Matthew Stafford upright during the final stage of his career, and missing a tackle out of the starting lineup could potentially derail their Super Bowl aspirations.