What should Rams do to the OL?

[Ram_Rally]

Resign Whit
Add 1 vet g/c
Add 1 rookie g/c

 

[BonifayRam]

Resign Whit
Add 1 vet g/c
Add 1 rookie g/c

If OT Noteboom's knee is ready to play early in 2020 the Rams OL overall gets a super elevated boost. Your last two suggestions might not be needed.

First it would help the Rams in the contract discussions with LT Whitworth. Before the knee injury LT Noteboom was presumed to be the starting LT in 2020. Rams Org. would be in a much better negotiation position.

2nd, If Whitworth was still signed it would provide Kromer a great trio of OT's to work with in TC & preseason (2 being well seasoned veterans). The best 2 of the 3 would start & the other would move into the important swing OT.

3rd, Kromer now has a young highly talented OG cadre in Evans/ Corbett/ Edwards/ Brewer/ Kolone all fighting it out to earn the 3 main OG positions on the master roster. Might even permit Austin Corbett more of an opportunity to get HD reps @ the biggest concern in the starting OL CENTER.

4th, Having the other four starting OL posts & the 2 swing reserve positions (Swing OT & OG) in excellent shape allows Kromer to concentrate on the problematic OC post which has been an issue since early on in 2018. Snead could strongly consider signing a veteran experienced starting OC to blend in with the youngsters of Allen/ Shelton/ Trewyn & Corbett.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Draft a good center. It’s the best place to start fixing their problems. They should have done it last year. They passed up a few.

 

[Ram65]

"Each of those injuries is a little bit different, but they're on track to being ready to go for the season," McVay said. "What it does look like, for how we utilize them in the offseason program, I think, is to be determined."

That would be great news on Boom. I don't know if McVay really knows for sure when he will be ready to practice at full strength. Free agency starts in only three weeks on March 18th. That's a tight window to know if Boom will be ready and decide on Whitworth. Time will tell I guess.

 

[BonifayRam]

Why Sean McVay is feeling better about the Rams’ offensive line

Both Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen were injured last season

www.turfshowtimes.com

One of the bigger reasons why the Los Angeles Rams went from the NFC champion in 2018 to finishing out of the playoffs in 2019 was their offensive line.


What was previously the anchor to a dangerous offense was a weakened unit in 2019, mostly due to injuries. While McVay said the Rams’ offensive dip in 2019 – they scored 133 less points (an average of 8.3 less points a game) than in 2018 - was a unit-wide issue, it was clear that the Rams’ problems on the offensive line hurt the team last season.

Left guard Joe Noteboom suffered both ACL and MCL injuries in Week 6 and was lost for the season. A month later, center Brian Allen was lost for the rest of the season with an MCL problem.

McVay said at the NFL combine that both offensive linemen are making progress and should be ready to play in 2020.

In addition to the injuries, the Rams have some contractual issues with offensive linemen. Both left tackle Andrew Whitworth, and center/guard Austin Blythe are free agents. The Rams also have to decide if they want to bring back right tackle Rob Havenstein. His play dipped last season and he finished the season injured. He has a $7.8 million salary cap hit this year.

McVay expressed some confidence in the team re-signing Whitworth, explaining at the combine how important Whitworth is to the offense.

Having just $23 million in salary cap room and no first-round pick, the Rams will need to be shrewd to help improve this offensive line. With both injury and roster flux on the line, keeping Whitworth and getting starters back healthy is a crucial key for the Rams this offseason.