The Rams have claimed guard Tre’ Jackson off waivers from the Patriots, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Los Angeles can use reinforcements all along the front five after finishing as a bottom-five unit in both pass protection and run-blocking, per Football Outsiders. Veteran Rodger Saffold is projected to start at left guard, while Rob Havenstein is moving from right tackle to right guard, paving the way for former No. 2 overall pick to take over at tackle. Jackson, then, will likely start his Rams career as a depth option on the interior.
Jackson, 24, was a fourth-round pick in 2015, and played a significant amount of snaps during his rookie campaign as he started nine games for New England. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson was roughly average in 2015, grading as the NFL’s No. 47 guard. Knee injuries knocked Jackson out at the end of that season, however, and forced him to spend the entire 2016 campaign on the PUP list.
The Rams will now assume the two remaining years on Jackson’s rookie contract. They’ll take on Jackson’s base salaries of $615K and $705K over the next two respective seasons, leaving the Patriots with only Jackson’s accelerated bonus money (roughly $260K) as dead cap space.