Elite is the last thing I would use to describe Noteboom
Both Havenstein and Whitworth described him as having elite skills. Sorry but I will believe there assessment.
Yeah Saffold had a genetic problem with his shoulder(s) that once it was fixed via surgery, it was fixed.
Noteboom has had several different things, knee, pec, now Achilles. Not really the same situation.
Re: Stafford: He experienced pain this past season in that same elbow which he tried to play through. He said he played through the same pain the year before. Either it wasn't fixed or he's getting tendonitis in it. It clearly affected his deep accuracy where he missed throws he normally didn't.
Rd: Noteboom: Pec injuries experienced by OL is normally associated with poor technique as are some Achilles injuries, due to poor footwork. Those can be explained by poor OL coaching. Again they fired Carberry for a reason, i.e. poor coaching. When the entire OL goes down that is symptomatic of a coaching and or conditioning issue.
So you dump a guy that played outstanding prior until the advent of the hiring of a poor OL coach? So his outstanding play earlier was an aberration? I don't think so and neither do the Rams. It's clear that the Rams don't share the negative opinion of Noteboom as the fans on this board. Considering the depth of their experience with that player whose judgment is most likely correct? In fact that applies to all the OL players.
The FO and McVay seem to feel the need to reassess their OL roster before making long term decisions. This is a harsh reality of making a business decision over and above any emotional football reaction. Their approach to in the draft will provide clarity as to their feelings regarding the OL. As fans all we can do is wait and see and accept whatever approach they choose. That's why ranting and railing about the OL personnel makes no sense, especially at this point. All we can do is take out clues from what they do. They extended Shelton, and made a cap adjustment for Allen. So the inference is they want to keep Shelton, and Allen gets one more year with 2024 and beyond in question and TBD.
They have kept Thomas and Toner so they apparently like what they see in both. Bruss they drafted last year to be a starter at OG, probably on the right side. Noteboom is like Allen, in that he is being given one more year to get back on track. If he stays injury free then I would expect him to continue on in 2024. If they choose to move on from him they have Jackson who would cost them $6.8M to keep. But then they will need a RT because Havenstein will cost them $14.7M. Arcuri didn't look good in his limited snaps.
This is why IMO the Rams would love for Noteboom to get back on track so that Jackson can step in for Havenstein next year.
Oh BTW Pro Football Reference shows Shelton playing 215 snaps in 2021 with 2 starts which was 20% and in 2022 played 719 snaps (92%) with 13 starts.
