The Los Angeles Rams prepared during the offseason with the plan of having Jonah Jackson play as the left guard and Steve Avila as the center.
However, they switched these positions late before Sunday’s season opener against the Detroit Lions. It now seems like Jackson will be the one snapping the ball to quarterback Matthew Stafford and making the calls, with Avila playing next to him.
Avila explained that the change makes sense. Jackson’s natural position is center, and Avila did well as a left guard in his rookie season. With a new player at one tackle spot and uncertainty at the other, the Rams want to strengthen their middle.
“From my understanding, it was we want to put the best five out there, which they are,” Avila said Wednesday. “This was always a possibility that this could happen.
We want to flex what we can do because we know we have the guys to, and right now we feel like this is the best thing to do.”
The Rams are comfortable with the change because Jackson is familiar with the center position. He began his football career as a center and played there in college.
When Jackson entered the NFL with the Lions, he was ready to play center after moving to guard at Rutgers and Ohio State, but the presence of Frank Ragnow kept him at guard.
“Had we not had an All-Pro and Pro Bowl center, I probably would have played center,” Jackson said. “It’s just what it is.”
Jackson signed a three-year contract with the Rams in March that included $34 million in guaranteed money. He might have made the switch earlier if not for a shoulder injury in training camp. Now fully healthy, Jackson is ready to play wherever he’s needed.
“I’m doing everything I need to do, everything they brought me here to do,” Jackson said. “So it feels good to be back out there with the guys, getting back to it, and we’re excited for this week.”
Avila is glad he had the chance to practice playing center for most of the offseason. He tried to learn both guard and center positions during his first season but realized he needed to focus on one.
“I wanted to focus on what I needed to do because it’s not that I was just trying to learn the plays,” Avila said. “I was learning how the coach wants it to be done from a technique standpoint.
There was a lot of different things I was navigating, so I was trying to, but it got to a point to where I was like I can’t. I have to focus on what I’m doing.”
Now that he’s back at guard, Avila is benefiting from his center experience and has a better understanding of the entire offense. He’s also ready to play center if needed because of the unpredictable nature of the NFL.
“It’s never just one guy that’s the center,” Jackson said. “It’s the NFL, things happen, guys get hurt, so we all prepare like we have to play a different position.”
The Rams are already used to dealing with uncertainty. Left tackle Alaric Jackson injured his ankle during camp and received a two-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, so Joe Noteboom will start against the Lions.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein missed some practice time due to an ankle injury. If Havenstein, the last remaining player from the Rams’ time in St. Louis, can’t play, Warren McClendon Jr. will start.
Everyone needs to be ready to step in, Jackson said.
“Like it’s never just only the centers being coached on how to be centers,” Jackson said. “Multiple guys, and that goes for guys who slide in from playing tackle, guys who slide out from playing tackle. It’s all interchangeable.”
