Could the Rams consider any of the alternatives to Austin Blythe?

[So Ram]

Trade Havenstein, move Edwards to RT, draft a stud road grading OG...couple of big 6-5 330 dudes should be there late 2 through end of 3 to choose from. And get a FA C or draft that position as well. Unless they think Anchrum or Corbett can move there.

Then let Evans compete with a rookie at LG, Noteboom backs up Whit. Figure out your C spot as I mentioned, RG also Corbett competing with that rookie, and Edwards at RT.

I don’t see Edwards getting moved,but Evans sure looked good at LG & played just as well as If not better than Havenstien.I don’t see The Rams doing much upfront though until at least Bug Rob has been traded.

 

[BonifayRam]

I don’t see Edwards getting moved,but Evans sure looked good at LG & played just as well as If not better than Havenstien.I don’t see The Rams doing much upfront though until at least Bug Rob has been traded.

Once the 2021 starting & backup center plan is signed into operation......things will then get interesting for the 2021 OL. Do I need to remind myself & members here that for the last two seasons Kromer has started another OL'er instead of Edwards @ LG. He has never been slated to start initially @ LG.

Some possible elements that might develop before the first regular 2021 game.........Last season's rookie who worked the left side might push for playing time. Tremayne Anchrum is a very mature well rounded OL'er whose best position may very well be the LG post. Being slightly under 6-2 315 lbs with long arms would be better suited on the left than on the right side.

Another OL'er who's been in never-never land trash heap since the 6th regular-season game in 2019 is the slightly under 6-2/305lbs Brian Allen. He will be in his 4th Training Camp with Kromer. Yes, Allen had big issues in his first starting season playing the OC post but he does have a good amount of time with this McVay Offense & is sure to have his blocking scheme cemented fully in his head. Allen also has had enough time to rebuild his fire-hydrant-sized body back to full strength. Allen started a dozen or more games in college @ LG & played very well for them. His move to center his senior yr. was due to team need not Allen's poor performance @ LG. Has any member ever seen Allen take snaps @ LG in the preseason or in an NFL game??

Another OL'er who got a ton of work on the left side his rookie season in 2019 was UDFA Chandler Brewer. Brewer was right side OL'er in college is slated to return back to the Ram team. Kromer started Brewer @ LT in 2019 preseason but he did get time also @ LG & RT. Brewer was over 6-6/325 lbs king-size OL'er too. It will be interesting to see how much Brewer has developed physically in his full offseason & being fully healthy & 2 yrs removed from his critical event with life-threatening cancer. Brewer might also figure in @ RT too.

Kromer stands to have a half dozen prospects available to him to replace Havenstien if needed. The Rams will draft an OT to go with the five other OL'ers he could go with. That's why when the #1 concern for this team is finding additional salary cap funds for the next two seasons. Havenstein trade is #1 on that list to consider due to the above.

 

[TexasRam]

I don’t see Edwards getting moved,but Evans sure looked good at LG & played just as well as If not better than Havenstien.I don’t see The Rams doing much upfront though until at least Bug Rob has been traded.

Go back and watch the Green Bay game. Evans was a turnstile at LG.

He might have upside and was clearly not getting snaps prior so may have been 1st game struggles, but he was bad. A big reason our drives stalled.

 

[OnceARam]

Another OL'er who's been in never-never land trash heap since the 6th regular-season game in 2019 is the slightly under 6-2/305lbs Brian Allen.

And this is where he belongs, with the other dazed and confused boys.

 

[So Ram]

I would say it's likely close to what you have listed. But most of these OL'ers do have some elements in their game & in their skills backpack that's better or worse, so they all vary. Austin Blythe is no longer under contract & a Ram.

#1-LT- AW- He only finished 8 Ram games in 2020 due to injury. Noteboom finished the rest of the regular season @ LT. AW is by far the best pass protector of all our contracted OL'ers.

#2-RT- Rob Havenstein is coming off the best season of his career. His run blocking @ RT is one of the best in the NFL. On the flip side Hav is adequate in his pass protection going up against 43 defenses but when facing smaller & quicker 34 D edge rushers the end result is normally in "Fail Mode".

#3-Left side Swing Reserve- Joseph Noteboom- OL'er Noteboom started 9 regular-season games LT/LG went 6-3 during those starts. A really good technical sound LT in pass blocking...without any real run-blocking power. Noteboom has yet to show any above run blocking capabilities after being named 2019 & 2020 starting LG, but is a more than capable pass blocker, but is currently an ascending reserve swing OT.

#4-LG- David Edwards- This ex HS QB then turned TE initially in college then moved to RT. This now entering 3rd season OL'er has been a starter since his rookie season first @ LG then RG then Back LG. Edwards who is nearly 6-7 tall over 320 lbs is still learning how to play interior OL'er. Edwards is an excellent ascending OL'er who is versatile. Edwards has very good feet, great size & improving strength & his overall length might make him be better utilized @ RT.

#5-RG- Austin Corbett- A 4 yr starter @ LT in college drafted very high by Browns. Has started RT/RG & LG in the past 3 seasons. Indicates a very smart & also highly versatile OL'er. It would be a good idea to find Corbett's best OL post & keep him there to master it. Corbett is a good ascending OL'er.

#6- Swing OG & RT - Bobby Evans will enter his 3rd season, was an outstanding RT in college his junior season. Evans started regular-season gms his rookie season @ RT & did well for a rookie playing in a makeshift OL. IN his 2nd season Evans finished the last 2 regular seasons @ LG & finished 2 gms in playoffs @ LG. Evans played better @ RT than @ LG. Evans is another Kromer ascending OL'er who looking for a starting post going into his 3rd season.

#7-Interior OL'er- Brian Allen-Kromer promoted Allen to starting OC in 2019 before badly injuring his knee & had a rough extra-long rehabbing event mixed in with covid -19 even in the middle of it. Might be working on being a top 3 post top reserve in 2021 for Kromer.

#8-Interior OL'er- Coleman Shelton- Signed before the beginning 2019 season & has been the backup center since that time. Has played in 27 Ram games. Shelton started for 4 seasons in college @ all five posts.

#9-Reserve OL'er- Tremayne Anchrum drafted by Snead & has experienced 2 national championships teams. Played only one post @ RT. Suited up for 13 Ram games his rookie season. It was reported that Kromer was working this rookie @ LT/LG posts.

#10-Reserve OL'er- Chandler Brewer will enter his 2nd season as a 6-6/320 OL'er who took last season off due to Covid 19.... was a good RG in college but Kromer utilized Brewer @ swing OT the entire rookie season. Brewer has a promising rookie season.

#11-Reserve OL'er- Jamil Demby drafted by Snead in 2018 in the 6th rd. Has managed to remain a Ram since. Rams signed him to a reserve/future contract on January 19th,2021

It will be interesting to see who The Rams really like from this group.If Brewer was on the roster last season I believe he would have been cut.It’s good to see Demby was resigned.

 

[Rams43]

Go back and watch the Green Bay game. Evans was a turnstile at LG.

He might have upside and was clearly not getting snaps prior so may have been 1st game struggles, but he was bad. A big reason our drives stalled.

And yet I thought Evans looked good against the Seahawks the previous week. And didn’t he look good when subbing for the injured Hav the previous year?

Very confusing.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I wonder if the Rams long range plan with Edwards is to have him take over at OLT if Whitworth ever retires.

 

[BonifayRam]

I wonder if the Rams long range plan with Edwards is to have him take over at OLT if Whitworth ever retires.

My thoughts, on your pondering ref David Edwards future @ LT ???.......highly doubtful. From all that I know Edwards is a versatile 3 post-OL'er (RT/LG/RG) with no LT in him. Whereas Joseph Noteboom is far more LT with a good amount of Swing OT & very little OG in him.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

My thoughts, on your pondering ref David Edwards future @ LT ???.......highly doubtful. From all that I know Edwards is a versatile 3 post-OL'er (RT/LG/RG) with no LT in him. Whereas Joseph Noteboom is far more LT with a good amount of Swing OT & very little OG in him.

I think once Joe is a free agent next year he is gone. Long term, if they don’t find a LT to draft, then is there one on the roster? I don’t know enough about Brewer or Annchrum at the pro level. I thought Edwards played some OLT in college. He’s tall and could be better suited to play tackle. He has played guard pretty well with Whitworth next to him, not so much with Noteboom next to him. I think overall he lacks the knee bend to get good leverage as a guard. He just happens to fall into LG as the best configuration of existing talent. It’s not like they could have moved Edwards to right tackle and Havenstein at guard. With Whitworth at OLT that makes Edwards the third best Olinemen. It makes sense to use his skills at guard even if it’s not his ideal spot.

Noteboom was a complete failure at LG. So when Whitworth went down it made no sense to play Edwards in Whit’s place and Noteboom at LG. At least Noteboom was okay at pass blocking at LT. Again it’s just the most productive configuration.

I hope Anchrum or Brewster can step up and surpass some of the backups. But as another Rodder said the Rams depth at Oline is not very good. So either it won’t be hard for them to move up the list, or if not, then the depth is much worse that it should be.

 

[Malibu]

Get rid of Blythe first and spend the $ on Corey Linsley he solves alot of issues then go after Warford. Trade for Brown in trade give them Havenstein and something else. Brown plays LT move Whit to RT if Whit won't ask Brown to start at RT and LT is all his for the next foreseeable future.

The OL becomes a great strength Stafford will massively thrive in this scenario. Brown is critical because we are not getting a dominant player at LT. None we have drafted have panned
out I can see.

Sure you all will say we don't have the $ or capital maybe but this is what I would do.

We must address the interior of the OL start with Linsley he is a must and then the others really help solve all the issues.

 

[Memento]

Yes, center is the weakest link. Fortunately, there's a lot of good players who can play center in this draft - and that's not even getting into options like Corbett or Linsley.

 

[JonRam99]

Yes, center is the weakest link. Fortunately, there's a lot of good players who can play center in this draft - and that's not even getting into options like Corbett or Linsley.

It is, and it has been since Sullivan left. Rams didn't replace him in 2019, and didn't address this serious flaw in 2020 either. Based on that I"m not hopeful that they will in 2021. We'll see I guess.
BTW, didn't I see on here somewhere that Blythe was a UFA and wasn't renewed yet? Is he officially a F/A? i.e. no longer on the roster?

 

[Merlin]

Go back and watch the Green Bay game. Evans was a turnstile at LG.

He might have upside and was clearly not getting snaps prior so may have been 1st game struggles, but he was bad. A big reason our drives stalled.

Yeah the Rams won't offer up excuses but losing Edwards was an enormous hit going into Green Bay. Evans needs a lot of work and I'm sure he'll get it this next camp. Not gonna get too down on him because as you mentioned the guy needs snaps and prep to settle in. But he's definitely a question mark if we go into the offseason with him positioned as a starter.

I don't think that's likely or anything btw. But it is possible if they elect to move Hav.

 

[BonifayRam]

Yeah the Rams won't offer up excuses but losing Edwards was an enormous hit going into Green Bay. Evans needs a lot of work and I'm sure he'll get it this next camp. Not gonna get too down on him because as you mentioned the guy needs snaps and prep to settle in. But he's definitely a question mark if we go into the offseason with him positioned as a starter.I don't think that's likely or anything btw. But it is possible if they elect to move Hav.

Yes I agree!

I just do not like what I see from the 6-4/313 Bobby Evans @ OG...prefer he concentrate on the RT post & the all-important Swing OT 6th OL position entering his 3rd NFL season.

OG/RT David Edwards is currently a more perfected technically sound OL'er than Bobby @ this time.

 

[Mackeyser]

Get rid of Blythe first and spend the $ on Corey Linsley he solves alot of issues then go after Warford. Trade for Brown in trade give them Havenstein and something else. Brown plays LT move Whit to RT if Whit won't ask Brown to start at RT and LT is all his for the next foreseeable future.

The OL becomes a great strength Stafford will massively thrive in this scenario. Brown is critical because we are not getting a dominant player at LT. None we have drafted have panned
out I can see.

Sure you all will say we don't have the $ or capital maybe but this is what I would do.

We must address the interior of the OL start with Linsley he is a must and then the others really help solve all the issues.

I like where your head is at, but we spent our haul on Stafford. Thanks to Laremy Tunsil, the Ravens are gonna want a legit haul for a young, starting caliber LT.

 

[Merlin]

Trade for Brown in trade give them Havenstein and something else.

Snead be like: Havenstein and a ham sandwich for Brown. Final offer.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Trade for Brown in trade give them Havenstein and something else.

That 'something else' would have to be pretty significant. Brown is really good and just 24.

 

[BonifayRam]

2021 NFL free agent centers
Could the Rams consider any of the alternatives to Austin Blythe?
By Kenneth Arthur@KennethArthuRS Feb 15, 2021

Rams 2021 free agent needs: The centers who will hit the market - Turf Show Times

When counting Super Bowls and attaching credit, the conversations tend to gravitate around the quarterback position. But like a balloon on a string, the only thing keeping those quarterbacks stable and tied to the ground is a strong force at center.

Many great teams had great centers and offensive turnarounds have often correlated with upgrades at the center position. Two obvious examples from the last five years being Alex Mack joining the Falcons and John Sullivan signing with the Rams.

Regardless of his absence being the cause of it or not, Los Angeles hasn’t played as well offensively since Sullivan retired and Mack happens to be among the free agent centers this offseason. The Rams may not have a lot of cap space for upgrades, but with Austin Blythe also hitting the open market unless they re-sign him, it could be an area of focus this March.

Here are the unrestricted free agent centers, ranked by percentage of snaps played in 2020:

Dan Feeney, Chargers, 100%
Feeney has age on his side, but not a lot of quality tape from the sounds of it.
Ted Karras, Dolphins, 100%
Austin Blythe, Rams, 100%
Alex Mack, Falcons, 86.6%

Mack will turn 36 in November, which doesn’t seem that old in comparison to Andrew Whitworth at least.
Austin Reiter, Chiefs, 78.7%

Reiter’s been in a great situation in front of Patrick Mahomes and he has high marks for pass blocking, low marks for run blocking.
David Andrews, Patriots, 71.6%

Andrews missed all of 2019 for New England (and was replaced by Karras, who then went to the Dolphins) and he missed four starts in 2020. The Patriots had those two and Joe Thuney in 2019 and now could be without all three. It’s quite a restart for Bill Belichick.
Corey Linsley, Packers, 70.7%

Linsley was a first team all-pro in 2020 and should be the more prized center acquisition on the market. Will Green Bay keep him around? Will a team pay well more than any other bidders because they’re desperate for a center upgrade?

In any case, the Rams would only seem to be in line for Linsley if he was anxious to play in LA with Matthew Stafford and willing to take a discount.

Joe Looney, Cowboys, 66.6%
Matt Skura, Ravens, 64.4%
Tyler Shatley, Jaguars, 62% (as a guard)
Nick Easton, Saints, 52.2%

Easton was recently cut by New Orleans, a team that already has Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz on the roster. Easton has played a lot more guard than center recently.

Josh Andrews, Jets, 31.4% (guard)
Ben Garland, 49ers, 30.4%

Former Alex Mack backup, filled in to make five starts at center with the 49ers last season.

 

[BonifayRam]

This center situation is very odd to me. I have no issues with them spending trying to find an effective OC in FA'cy but just does not feel right to me.

Snead has not drafted an OC since 2018. They have been fooling around with a pure stopgap dinky but smart Blythe ever since he was dumped by the Colts. Snead knew Blythe going had a lack of power with alligator arms. This has been known since MAY 16 2017 when he arrived here he was a stop-gap swing OG a stop-gap RG & then a stop gap OC. Stop Gap no longer.

Meanwhile, the entire NFL & non-NFL world has written off the under 6-2/305 Brian Allen who was the last OC Snead drafted. But Allen now entering his 4th season is still here under contract. Allen has 25 gms with 5 starts total of 619 snaps with this Ram offense.

Right now Allen is the only center the Rams have. Just seems like the Rams know something & we have no clue what's going on behind the curtain.

 

[Loyal]

All I will say is that if our answer at Center is stil Austin Blythe in 2021, we have failed.