5 OL questions LA Rams must answer before 2021 NFL Draft
5 OL questions LA Rams must answer before 2021 NFL Draft (ramblinfan.com)
The LA Rams have a plan in place, and by all accounts, it’s likely about winning now. Like it or not, the Rams got older at the quarterback position. Six years older to be exact. So this team has gone from a path of gradual improvement to scaling a cliff to improve now. That changes so many things about the LA Rams construct of a 2021 roster.
Where did the Rams fall short in 2020? The cheap and easy answer is to simply proclaim it was the quarterback play. But that’s no more valid than saying it was the defense’s fault. After all. the LA Rams were never shut out and averaged over three touchdowns per game. So it’s not that simple if we’re truly honest.
Brutal honesty. It’s really the only way for the Rams to scale the cliff to rise from exiting in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs to representing the NFC conference at SoFi Stadium in Super Bowl LVI. Just two wins. So close, and yet, so far. Can these Rams find it within themselves to find two more postseason wins next year? Or can the Rams find three more regular-season wins to have a shorter path and home-field advantage next year?
Of course, the key to it all is not just swapping quarterbacks, but how well can the Rams customize the entire offensive roster to accommodate the new guy? QB Matthew Stafford is the only veteran quarterback who could lose a footrace to former quarterback Jared Goff. If ‘pristine pocket’ was truly a thing for Goff, then it must be even more critical for the Rams to achieve for Stafford. To do so, the LA Rams must use caution for 2021.
Spending too little means that the Rams will fall short. Spending too much will upset the financial cart. Somehow, the LA Rams must assemble an offensive line for 2021 that will not only play very well but ensure that the age and limits of existing veterans are removed as seamlessly as possible.
Center Blythe
What are the chances that the Rams re-sign center Austin Blythe? Well, at about the midpoint in the season, I would have placed those odds at 95 percent certainty. After all, the Rams released center Cohl Cabral from the practice squad and knew the entire time that Blythe was only on a one-year deal. So that was evidence that he would be a priority signing.
But as the season wore on, Blythe’s play declined somewhat. Yes, he made good plays. But there were plays where a defender arrived just as the football did. And the result was devastating. If there was a singular Achilles heel to the Rams offense in 2020, it was that A-gap blitz.
So now, the question becomes this. Will the Rams bring back Austin Blythe for another year? There is an argument to do so. The Rams truly have no heir apparent on the roster. While 2019 starter Brian Allen could resume the starting role, he was pushed around pretty easily that year. Of course, the Rams have the option to route another offensive lineman to the center spot like Austin Corbett or Tremayne Anchrum, and simply refitting another lineman to the guard position.
But with the trade of Jared Goff, if the Rams intend to make a change at the center position, this would be a perfect time to do so. The
Rams did reportedly target Michigan center, Cesar Ruiz, in the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the New Orleans Saints selected him in round one. Will this be the year for the Rams to invest in a center? Signing Blythe will cost the Rams approximately $6 million /year this year. He is a solid center, but not the type of player who will shine against elite defenders.
Getting the band back together again?
Will the Rams stick with the same offensive linemen in 2021 until the wheels fall off? Of course, that may need a bit of explaining which we are more than happy to provide. You see, the 2020 offseason was filled with outcries from fans and analysts that the LA Rams offensive line from 2019 was terrible, and the Rams needed to distance themselves from the player projected to leave due to expired contracts.
Instead, the Rams re-signed all free agent offensive linemen in 2020. That included the likes of left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center Austin Blythe, backup interior offensive lineman Coleman Shelton and blocking tight end Johnny Mundt. It made a great deal of sense in 2020. The Rams offensive line was deeply undervalued. Players would heal, and by doing so, improve. And the logistics of the 2020 NFL season provided teams with returning veterans a distinct advantage over other teams.
The Rams unapologetically took full advantage of that situation. Not only did the Rams return the previous season’s five starters from 2019, but they reassembled virtually the entire offensive line depth chart into this past season. That paid huge dividends. Even when injuries impacted offensive linemen in 2020, the Rams had experienced former starters capable of sliding into the offensive line.
Now the question is, can the Rams be content to wash, rinse and repeat for another year? After all, the team is experiencing another season. Younger players get more experience, while older players become one-year older. So the decision of when to start the swapping of experience for youthful development comes into question. Of course, that is even more complicated now as the team has exchanged youthful development for experience at the quarterback position.
A big decision over Big Whit
And so, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Is Andrew Whitworth capable of another year or two starting at left tackle? While there is no doubt about Big Whit’s dedication and commitment to ensuring that the LA Rams get the best out of him whenever he steps onto the field, the years of playing at one of the most physically-demanding spots on the football team are taking their toll.
Whitworth suffered an MCL injury in week 10 of the 2020 NFL season. While younger players injured against the Seattle Seahawks failed to return, Whitworth pushed himself to be back in time for the NFL Playoffs. How effectively did he play? Some estimates place his return somewhere between 60-80 percent of his full-healthy self. But now the question becomes at what cost?
Before anyone heads straight to the comments section, let me explain. I love what Andrew Whitworth does for the LA Rams, what he can do for the LA Rams, and how he has poured all that he has onto the field and into the future careers of his young teammates. But as that good friend, I have to pose the most important question of all: When is enough, enough?
There can only be one of three endings to Andrew Whitworth’s career with the LA Rams. Either he will have a great season and choose to retire on a high note. He will have a less-than-hoped-for season, and he will be a salary cap or roster casualty. Or worst of all, he will suffer another injury that will be so devastating that it will end his football career.
In my heart and in my mind, I prefer the first of the three options. That means that the LA Rams must get busy developing and promoting his replacement, or draft one. Joseph Noteboom played rather well off injured reserve at the position during Whitworth’s absence. Is it time to let Andrew Whitworth enjoy his retirement with his family? If not now, then when?
Improve optics at right tackle
Who is competing with Rob Havenstein at right tackle? That’s a very good question. From what we observed in 2020, perhaps nobody was ever planned for the role. But that may not be a wise choice for the Rams this year. After all, 2019 was not so long ago, and Havenstein truly struggled in that season.
Rob Havenstein most certainly had a rebound season. He enjoyed a career-best regular season in 2018 of 1101 snaps giving up just two quarterback sacks and two penalties. But
in the 2018 postseason, he was guilty of two penalties in just 208 snaps. That downturn seemed to
carry over into the 2019 season when he allowed five quarterback sacks and committed eight penalties in just 616 offensive snaps.
2020 was a return to very good play. In 1,117 offensive snaps, he allowed four quarterback sacks and committed five infractions. That performance was good enough to earn a grade from Pro Football Focus of 80.0. But in the postseason he played 122 offensive snaps and allowed a quarterback sack. That dropped his performance back to a postseason grade of 72.7.
The LA Rams need to win. But if quarterback Jared Goff was a limiting factor when the going got tough, then so too does Havenstein create
a glass ceiling for this offense. Should the Rams try former RT Bobby Evans in a starting role in 2021? There was an expectation that Evans might be given a shot to compete for the role in 2020. Will that happen in 2021? However the Rams structure their depth chart, it’s clear that the ‘needs more competition’ must encompass more than the quarterback position.
Time for some younger guys?
The LA Rams have quietly gathered young, talented, and solid depth for the team at the offensive line position. Now the question is, which of those young players are ready to step up? After all, the mad-scientist of the Rams offensive line is the very accomplished offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. Ever since he orchestrated a masterful job of duct taping the offensive front together through the 2019 season, he’s been working at an express lane pace.
The Rams have plenty of ‘young talent’ to work with. The Rams have 2020 rookie OL Tremayne Anchrum, returning OT Chandler Brewer who opted out of the 2020 NFL season. The team will have another year of OL Jamil Demby.
And of course, the usual younger linemen who saw little to some spot duty in 2020 like C Brian Allen, OT Joseph Noteboom, and versatile OL Bobby Evans. The team even has an opportunity to re-sign center Austin Blythe, IOL Coleman Shelton, and TE Johnny Mundt this offseason. And they will all have the benefit of getting another year of quality development from Coach Kromer.
But like a kink in the garden hose, young players need to progress to the next step. At some point, the Rams will need to give younger offensive linemen the opportunity to shine. Clearly, OL David Edwards was ready for a larger role on the team. The same can be said for teammate Austin Corbett.
Some will panic, and throw shade at any discussion about the offensive line. After all, it was ‘good enough’ to get the Rams into the playoffs, wasn’t it? Well, the Rams are going to need a much-improved running game in 2021 to compliment the throwing arm of new quarterback Matthew Stafford. And that means, before the LA Rams plan for the 2021 NFL draft, they will need answers about their offensive line.
The 2021 NFL season will not benefit from any rookies selected in this year’s draft. So the Rams will need to upgrade in other ways for this season. But 2022 is just around the corner, and rookies chosen in the 2021 NFL Draft will certainly have a great deal to say about the starting five in that year.
attention by Demoff & Snead. The fact that LT Joe Noteboom is in his last season under contract will too. Kromer sure does not have a need for any RT's, nor LG's or RG's. If all of the OL'ers remain.
