Left Tackle Solution?

[jrry32]

I think we can all acknowledge that we have an issue at Left Tackle. I've been trying to come up with a solution for it, and it's been a struggle.

In terms of FA options, Matt Kalil and Andrew Whitworth are the only two LTs in FA. Personally, I wouldn't pursue Kalil. He's performed poorly the last few years and has durability issues. Whitworth is still one of the NFL's best LTs, but he's 35 years old. He might choose to call it a career. Even if he continues to play, he'll stick with Cincy if they try to re-sign him. If they don't, he still might not be interested in playing for us. He might only want to play for a contender.

Regardless, without Whitworth, that leaves us with no good options. I guess Riley Reiff of the Detroit Lions is also an option, but they moved him from LT to RT and drafted Taylor Dekker because he was not performing well at that position. I'd hate to throw a bunch of money at the guy for him to be a mediocre LT.

There is a chance that Miami cuts Branden Albert now that they have Laremy Tunsil. However, Albert hasn't played a full 16 game season in years. But he'd be the best option if he is cut. I haven't had a chance to evaluate all the guys in the draft yet, but based on what people I trust are saying, this looks like a bad class to be looking for a Left Tackle at the top of Round 2.

I know this has been a depressing post up to this point. However, I'm not posting this thread to lament our lack of options. I am posting it to offer a possible solution. It hit me today that we do have a solution in Free Agency outside of Andrew Whitworth and the other guys discussed earlier. That solution is Green Bay Packers Center J.C. Tretter. I know you're thinking I'm crazy right now. "Jrry32, a Center? Dude, we are talking about our solution at LEFT TACKLE!"

Here's why Tretter could be our solution. Tretter played Left Tackle at Cornell. At 6'4" 307 with arms around 33.5", he just barely meets the length requirements. However, Tretter being a Left Tackle in college isn't why I think he's a possible solution. David Bakhtiari, the Packers LT, missed the playoff game against the Redskins last year. J.C. Tretter was the Packers' 6th OL last season. He stepped in for Bakhtiari at LT against the Redskins. The results were mixed. Tretter struggled the first couple of drives. He even gave up a sack that resulted in a safety on a bullrush.

However, after the sack, Tretter settled in and got better as the game went on. After that sack resulting in a safety, Rodgers wasn't touched for the rest of the game. I went back and watched every play the Packers ran in that game. My evaluation of Tretter as a NFL LT is that he has the athleticism, feet, football IQ, and skill to play the position.

Tretter's lack of length and average functional strength will keep him from being a quality starter there. There will be DEs who give him problems. He'll get pushed around at times by very powerful guys. And long, athletic DEs could use their length advantage against him.

However, I believe he can provide us solid enough play to hold us over for a year or two while we find our permanent solution. The good news is that once we find our permanent solution, Tretter can slide inside to Center or Guard and provide Pro Bowl caliber play in a Zone Blocking Scheme. The other good news is that Tretter is both a Center and a Cornell grad. He's a very intelligent guy, which means we can count on him to know his assignment and carry it out properly. Additionally, he mirrors well and is very athletic. At minimum, he can get in front of his guy, even if that guy pushes him around. Finally, he blocks extremely well on the second-level and is a well-coached player in terms of technique.

Now, the downside here is that J.C. Tretter has had major problems staying healthy thus far in his career. He's looked quite good when he's on the field, but he's only managed to stay healthy for all 16 games once in his four-year career. The upside is that will drive the price down on him. He's only 25 years old. We could get ourselves a serviceable LT at a relative bargain. And once we find our LT of the future, we can move him inside to give us quality play at Center or Guard. The other good news is that Greg Robinson will be on the team.(well, maybe not good news) If Tretter gets hurt, we have Greg to fall back on.(even if that's not our ideal situation)

And if we get lucky and find a LT in the Draft or Greg excels under a new coaching staff, we have ourselves one of the best Centers in the game. Looking at our options, I think J.C. Tretter presents our best option. He gives us a guy who can likely be a serviceable LT at a reasonable cost. He offers the ability to play any position on our OL if Greg and the other young guys improve under a new coaching staff. And he's an incredibly smart player, which we definitely need more of on this team.

Thus, the Rams signing J.C. Tretter in Free Agency is my proposed (temporary) solution to our Left Tackle problems. Now, we just have to hope that the Packers cannot re-sign him before he hits Free Agency.

 

[Legatron4]

What about the draft? We could trade back into the first round.

 

[jrry32]

What about the draft? We could trade back into the first round.

As I said, I haven't gone through every option, but the guys I trust are saying that there's not much there. The one or two LTs that might be in this Draft are likely gone in the first 15 picks. And we'd be fools to trade all of our draft capital to move up that far.

There might be a project-type player who falls. But it's tough to bet on those guys as rookies. Someone might emerge over the next few months. I saw that a guy named Antonio Garcia from Troy is starting to get hype as a major LT prospect. We shall see. Garrett Bolles is another guy starting to get hype. But he's pretty raw.(insanely athletic, though)

 

[Boston Ram]

Great post jrry and I like the out of the box thinking.

I have posted this in other threads and will post here again. As you may remember or may not lol but I never liked the Robinson pick and may never like it, that being said I think there is enough to Robinson to play there for another year. The issues I have noticed on our offensive line has been more about broken communication and assignments, than actual physical breakdowns. The biggest breakdowns have come between Robinson and Saffold IMHO. Obviously I dont know who would be to blame for that....since I dont know the actual play calls. But you can identify the breakdowns.

Not very often (relatively speaking) do I see many plays both on pass and run that Robinson cant execute the proper blocks. Where the left side inparticular break down is on stunt plays and defenders come unimpeded to the QB.

Greg Robinson and Saffold both need to be married to the film room this year and learn assignments understand the defenders tendencies.

So what is my point lol? It may be a cop out but I think these guys need to be better coached. This entire team needs better coaching. 80% of this game is coaching and being prepared. I never felt this team was prepared. There is enough talent there to be at worst, servicable. That does not mean I would give up on find a replacement for Robinson, there are some interesting prospects out there in the 2nd and 3rd. Real curious to see the measurables on Forrest Lamp, like is he really 6'4" and curious to see how long his arms are? I like his game alot but wonder if he has the length for LT at the NFL level.

I do love the idea of Tretter, and having him play C would be a perfect fit.

 

[shovelpass]

What about the draft? We could trade back into the first round.

Would it be worth it though? There are a lot of holes and question marks on this team. They're going to need those picks to address those needs.

 

[jrry32]

Great post jrry and I like the out of the box thinking.

I have posted this in other threads and will post here again. As you may remember or may not lol but I never liked the Robinson pick and may never like it, that being said I think there is enough to Robinson to play there for another year. The issues I have noticed on our offensive line has been more about broken communication and assignments, than actual physical breakdowns. The biggest breakdowns have come between Robinson and Saffold IMHO. Obviously I dont know who would be to blame for that....since I dont know the actual play calls. But you can identify the breakdowns.

Not very often (relatively speaking) do I see many plays both on pass and run that Robinson cant execute the proper blocks. Where the left side inparticular break down is on stunt plays and defenders come unimpeded to the QB.

Greg Robinson and Saffold both need to be married to the film room this year and learn assignments understand the defenders tendencies.

So what is my point lol? It may be a cop out but I think these guys need to be better coached. This entire team needs better coaching. 80% of this game is coaching and being prepared. I never felt this team was prepared. There is enough talent there to be at worst, servicable. That does not mean I would give up on find a replacement for Robinson, there are some interesting prospects out there in the 2nd and 3rd. Real curious to see the measurables on Forrest Lamp, like is he really 6'4" and curious to see how long his arms are? I like his game alot but wonder if he has the length for LT at the NFL level.

I do love the idea of Tretter, and having him play C would be a perfect fit.

It's funny you mention Forrest Lamp. I was going to make a thread in the draft forum. He's the guy I want with our 2nd round pick. I don't see that changing.

I don't think Lamp has the length to play LT at the NFL level. I'd love if he could. However, he's a guy you move inside to Center or Guard. If he has the intelligence, you put him at Center. You stick him at Center or Guard for the next 12 years and don't worry about that position. Lamp is a future Pro Bowler on the interior.

I hope that he doesn't get drafted before we pick. That kid is as close to a slam dunk as you can get. The two games this year I evaluated him in were Alabama and Louisiana Tech. In the Alabama game, he mainly faced off against projected top 5 pick Jonathan Allen and projected first round pick Tim Williams. He turned those guys into ghosts. In the Louisiana Tech game, he squared off against Jaylon Ferguson. Ferguson has 16 TFLs and 14.5 sacks this year. Lamp didn't break a sweat in that game. Ferguson did absolutely nothing against him.

This is probably the biggest compliment you can pay an OL. I said this about Cody Whitehair last year. When Forrest Lamp gets his hands on a guy, the battle is over. It's that simple. Guys are just unable to disengage. I think Lamp compares very favorably to Whitehair. Whitehair shifted to Center this year for the Bears. He's played outstanding football for them as a rookie.

 

[jrry32]

What about the draft? We could trade back into the first round.

Watched a cut-up on the kid I mentioned in my post who is getting first round hype, Antonio Garcia. The hype is warranted to some degree. He'll be at the Senior Bowl. It'll be interesting to see how he does. These are my thoughts after watching the Clemson game:
He certainly looks the part. He's listed at 6'7" 302. I think he comes in pretty close to that. He's a long and lean guy. What stood out to me is that he has long arms even for a guy his size. I feel comfortable predicting that they're at least 35 inches. Wouldn't be surprised if they're closer to 36 inches than 35.

In terms of athleticism, it was a little hard to tell because of their offense. However, from what I saw, he moved well and seemed light on his feet. Functional strength looked good for as lean as he is. He showed a bit of a mean streak. He was able to protect the edge (his long arms were especially helpful).

However, he also looked raw. His hand use was very inconsistent. He was grabby. His pad level was inconsistent. He's just not a super polished kid at this stage.

That all said, in this class, I can definitely see him fighting for a first round slot if he performs well in the pre-draft process. He will be playing at the Senior Bowl. Expect to hear about him. He might rise quite quickly up the boards. He has the physical talent to play LT at the next level. There aren't a ton of guys in this class you can say that about.

 

[den-the-coach]

If you can't sign Whitworth then keep Saffold. Can he he hold up long term at LT? Not sure, but he did play the whole game against the 49ers also if you move Robinson to LG, moving him back to LT should not be an option, so IMO, if you cannot sign Whitworth keep Saffold and draft somebody like Ryan Ramcyzk from Wisconsin who could slip to round two and with Ram in his last name you can't go wrong.

Also former Ram great Jackie Slater stated in an interview that he could fix Robinson. Now I'm not sure if Slater would want to be Assistant Offensive Line Coach, but if he does, hire him and fix GROB. I'm not sure because IMHO from the neck up GROB is worth a dime, but I would like to see what the new coaching staff could do with him before we give up on the kid.

 

[jrry32]

If you can't sign Whitworth then keep Saffold. Can he he hold up long term at LT? Not sure, but he did play the whole game against the 49ers also if you move Robinson to LG, moving him back to LT should not be an option, so IMO, if you cannot sign Whitworth keep Saffold and draft somebody like Ryan Ramcyzk from Wisconsin who could slip to round two and with Ram in his last name you can't go wrong.

The OL hasn't looked any better with Saffold at LT than Robinson. I'd much rather cut Saffold and use that money elsewhere. The guy is made of glass and has performed poorly this year.

 

[den-the-coach]

The OL hasn't looked any better with Saffold at LT than Robinson. I'd much rather cut Saffold and use that money elsewhere. The guy is made of glass and has performed poorly this year.

I agree with you there if you can use that money, but if nothing else Saffold does pass protect well at LT and you have a durablity issue with Tretter as well, plus there is no guarantee he can play LT at the NFL level.

Again if you want to release Saffold, that is fine, but you better have a couple of plans in place and again bringing in Jackie Slater plus a new offensive line coach for GROB is also an option, IMHO.

 

[FRO]

It's the toughest question the team faces in the offseason. I don't know how they'll be able to answer it. Maybe you give Robinson another chance with a new staff? I don't like that idea. I think you put him at OG and go from there. It's definitely a head scratcher.

 

[jrry32]

I agree with you there if you can use that money, but if nothing else Saffold does pass protect well at LT and you have a durablity issue with Tretter as well, plus there is no guarantee he can play LT at the NFL level.

Again if you want to release Saffold, that is fine, but you better have a couple of plans in place and again bringing in Jackie Slater plus a new offensive line coach for GROB is also an option, IMHO.

I haven't seen that this year. Frankly, I'd rather play Robinson than Saffold at LT. Both are going to be liabilities. At least we save money by not having Saffold on the roster.

I respect you, Den. But I really disagree here. Saffold has been bad this year. And his track record at LT isn't good.

Yep, Tretter has durability issues. That's the risk. But I'm more willing to take a risk with durability issues on a guy who has the ability to be a net positive to the team than a guy who has spent the 2016 season being a net negative.

There is a guarantee he can play LT at the NFL level. There just isn't a guarantee that he can play it well. Then again, the bar isn't set very high when Greg and Saffold are the competition. Greg improving would make all our lives a lot easier.

 

[99Balloons]

Anytime when we sign one of the Packers' players, a la Scott Wells, I kept thinking of damaged goods.

However, IF Tretter can stay healthy, then he may give us the stability and flexibility in rotating our OL.

However, I think we MAY have the guy on our roster that we might not have regularly experimented and given the chance. That guy is Andrew Donnal.

Donnal may have not played LT much. But he looked more natural and settled at that position when Robinson was inactive. Maybe Boudreau saw Robinson as eye-candy and fell in love with his raw athleticism and did not give a second thought to having the position opened for competition.

But if any coach that can coach up the OL, Donnal is the one that can benefit from that.

This OL must be fixed and new WR corp are needed because I'm tired watching GZ kicking field goals.

 

[jrry32]

Anytime when we sign one of the Packers' players, a la Scott Wells, I kept thinking of damaged goods.

However, IF Tretter can stay healthy, then he may give us the stability and flexibility in rotating our OL.

However, I think we MAY have the guy on our roster that we might not have regularly experimented and given the chance. That guy is Andrew Donnal.

Donnal may have not played LT much. But he looked more natural and settled at that position when Robinson was inactive. Maybe Boudreau saw Robinson as eye-candy and fell in love with his raw athleticism and did not give a second thought to having the position opened for competition.

But if any coach that can coach up the OL, Donnal is the one that can benefit from that.

This OL must be fixed and new WR corp are needed because I'm tired watching GZ kicking field goals.

I just haven't seen it with Donnal. He looked bad when we started him at RG. Hope you're right.

Hell, I'd settle for watching GZ kick FGs right now. We're not even getting close enough for him to do that!

 

[den-the-coach]

I just haven't seen it with Donnal. He looked bad when we started him at RG. Hope you're right.

I don't think Donnal is a LT and IMO, his greatest asset is as a backup. What about Cordy Glenn in Buffalo or Terron Armstead of New Orleans? Do you think either get out of town?

 

[Boston Ram]

It's funny you mention Forrest Lamp. I was going to make a thread in the draft forum. He's the guy I want with our 2nd round pick. I don't see that changing.

I don't think Lamp has the length to play LT at the NFL level. I'd love if he could. However, he's a guy you move inside to Center or Guard. If he has the intelligence, you put him at Center. You stick him at Center or Guard for the next 12 years and don't worry about that position. Lamp is a future Pro Bowler on the interior.

I hope that he doesn't get drafted before we pick. That kid is as close to a slam dunk as you can get. The two games this year I evaluated him in were Alabama and Louisiana Tech. In the Alabama game, he mainly faced off against projected top 5 pick Jonathan Allen and projected first round pick Tim Williams. He turned those guys into ghosts. In the Louisiana Tech game, he squared off against Jaylon Ferguson. Ferguson has 16 TFLs and 14.5 sacks this year. Lamp didn't break a sweat in that game. Ferguson did absolutely nothing against him.

This is probably the biggest compliment you can pay an OL. I said this about Cody Whitehair last year. When Forrest Lamp gets his hands on a guy, the battle is over. It's that simple. Guys are just unable to disengage. I think Lamp compares very favorably to Whitehair. Whitehair shifted to Center this year for the Bears. He's played outstanding football for them as a rookie.

Really liked Whitehair too and Lamp reminds me of him too. I agree on all accounts here. Lamp to me is so fundementally sound, he should be a day 1 starter. Really like this kid, but G or C is probably where he will play.

 

[jrry32]

I don't think Donnal is a LT and IMO, his greatest asset is as a backup. What about Cordy Glenn in Buffalo or Terron Armstead of New Orleans? Do you think either get out of town?

Both guys signed 5-year extensions.

 

[Merlin]

I'm always a fan of solution based posts even when I don't necessarily agree with them. Tretter reminds me a bit of Donnal in terms of the situation and overall ability, and the problem is you can't project what these guys are going to do once they get focused week in and week out by defenses.

I do agree that the Rams need to do something like this to at least deepen the depth chart before the draft, but that said I don't want to see them overpay an iffy FA. And yeah the top guys never hit FA at the LT position, as Fish learned with Jake Long, who went on the market as a guy who couldn't stay on the field but he still had competition for his services and had to pony up the buckage for him.

Back to Donnal, I'd like to see him start this weekend at LT. But as it is the OL has been musical chairs of late and it's probably chaos in that position room, so I understand why they'll probably just start Roger out there. Still, it would have been nice if the Rams' front office had the foresight to ensure the staff gets a look at Donnal after his brief foray out there at LT. I mean it's crappy to get involved like that and interfere with the staff trying to put the best options in position, but it's not like wins are going to help this staff out at this point.

If I were the GM I'd have the new staff try to get GRob's head on straight, and try to get them that extra option through the draft. I would use FA for the interior guys, who typically are cheaper but more importantly more available on the market every year vice a coveted position like LT. Not throwing in the towel here, but I'd accept that for the short term it is better to throw money at quality additions at other positions like interior OL, wideout, etc in order to boost this offense.

 

[FRO]

As I said, I haven't gone through every option, but the guys I trust are saying that there's not much there. The one or two LTs that might be in this Draft are likely gone in the first 15 picks. And we'd be fools to trade all of our draft capital to move up that far.

There might be a project-type player who falls. But it's tough to bet on those guys as rookies. Someone might emerge over the next few months. I saw that a guy named Antonio Garcia from Troy is starting to get hype as a major LT prospect. We shall see. Garrett Bolles is another guy starting to get hype. But he's pretty raw.(insanely athletic, though)

Bolles is a little overaged too. I'm all for drafting an upside guy/developmental guy in the third or fourth round, but next year there has to be a day one starter and the options are very limited.

 

[ramfan46]

I haven't seen that this year. Frankly, I'd rather play Robinson than Saffold at LT. Both are going to be liabilities. At least we save money by not having Saffold on the roster.

I respect you, Den. But I really disagree here. Saffold has been bad this year. And his track record at LT isn't good.

Yep, Tretter has durability issues. That's the risk. But I'm more willing to take a risk with durability issues on a guy who has the ability to be a net positive to the team than a guy who has spent the 2016 season being a net negative.

There is a guarantee he can play LT at the NFL level. There just isn't a guarantee that he can play it well. Then again, the bar isn't set very high when Greg and Saffold are the competition. Greg improving would make all our lives a lot easier.

I like the outside the box thinking without blowing the bank on a possible solution. I'm hoping Mangold becomes a Cap casualty from NYJ and we could also grab him to help shore up the Center spot. I don't expect to get 16 games out of Mangold anymore, but I think he would be an upgrade for a 2-3 year deal as a transition guy and could play C while Tretter is at LT. Then you could groom a young promising Center or maybe try and convert Wichmann or Donnal to Center this off season.
Getting better Center and Guard play should be priority number #1 this spring. I really haven't seen it since the early 2000s on this team. Get the O line going and everything else will start to come together.
If Robinson is moved to Guard, which spot is better for him, LG or RG and why?