2022 was an absolutely dark year for the Los Angeles Rams fanbase writ large. The team spent the off-season with a ton of needs and due to the Super Bowl, not a lot of time to fill them. Les Snead was in a champagne supernova and didn’t properly assess how competitive his roster still was and where the places to pivot were following Von Miller‘s now fortuitous departure to Buffalo.
They neglected the offensive line and they decided to go Tutu Atwell over Creed Humphrey. Sure enough, the injury bug infested the Rams like they were an Econolodge and it took a toll on the offensive line.
Suddenly, the house of cards that the team was built on because of “F— DEM PICKS” collapsed like a cable tv bundle. Their second-round pick Logan Bruss tore his ACL so already it was precarious but week in and week out they were shuffling their offensive line around like massive deck chairs on the Titanic.
They couldn’t run the ball and Matthew Stafford missed the back half of the season because he was beaten like a rented mule.
The Rams Offensive Line Philosophy Evoles
Les Snead for all his faults, is capable of learning from his mistakes as is Sean McVay. They drafted Steve Avila with their second-round pick and later drafted Warren McClendon. During training camp, they traded a 4th-round pick for Kevin Dotson, and much like their 2019 trade for Austin Corbett, they refurbished another team’s distressed asset.
Their most important move was hiring Ryan Wendell as coach of their offensive line. He converted the line from a more finesse zone-blocking jersey to a more smash-mouth style of play. Those moves paid off like a slot machine as the offense became dynamic again. Stafford had time which allowed him to remind the league he’s not washed and he’s probably one of the best pure passers in the league. Kyren Williams became a star and the Rams’ once-anemic running game had to be taken seriously again. The Rams decided that the best course of action was to double down on this in 2024.
2023 wasn’t perfect, as it took Dotson several weeks to be integrated into the Rams starting rotation, and Coleman Shelton while a decent center, never developed into a Pro Bowl-caliber one. It was telling that Shelton only got a one-year deal from the Bears and the Rams didn’t match it. Instead, they opted to have Avila move to center where he excelled in college. They resigned Dotson to a three-year $48 million extension and their biggest free agency move was signing Lions guard Jonah Jackson to a three-year $51 million deal.
Their interior looks to be an absolute wall and they wound up hitting on another late-round pick in center Beaux Limmer who looked incredible in the pre-season. Even better, Logan Bruss whom many fans labeled a bust, overcame his injury to make the team and establish himself as a guard/swing tackle.
2024 Rams Offensive Line Projection
Now, the problem with their line is that they curiously neglected to upgrade at tackle. Rob Havenstein is the stalwart on the right side and while the Rams are high on Alaric Jackson, he still needs to improve. Fan punching bag Joe Noteboom is in the last year of his three-year $40 million dollar deal and is not the Andrew Whitworth successor they wanted him to be. Limmer was the only offensive lineman they took in the draft and they didn’t appear to be interested in Tyron Smith or any of the other tackles during free agency.
That decision to drag their feet on upgrading at the tackle position went from odd to potentially catastrophic during camp. Havenstein was stepped on and missed the rest of camp and potentially week one with an ankle injury. Alaric Jackson was dealing with ankle issues of his own but then got slapped with a two-game suspension to start the year.
Now they’re forced to start McClendon and Noteboom week one against a fierce Lions pass rush. Suddenly, the line they invested so heavily in looks concerning as they also were without Jackson for most of camp because of a shoulder injury is being tested at center with Avila moving back to guard. This reportedly wasn’t a knock on Avila but the Rams trying to find the right alchemy to compensate for their self-inflicted deficiency at tackle.
J. Jackson has only played a handful of snaps at center although he may have in Detroit had Frank Ragnow not been there, so it’s not like the Wendell and McVay are taking a shot in the dark, but this close to the season it’s not ideal.
They also look to further buttress their vulnerable tackles with their other major free agent acquisition in tight end Colby Parkinson who they signed for three years $22 million. Parkinson was primarily used as a blocker in Seattle but McVay plans on using him and second-year tight end Davis Allen in the passing game. Jalen Ramsey‘s trade throw-in, Hunter Long will also be used as a blocking tight end.
Even with Jackson back in week three and a presumably healthy Havenstein the Rams will likely still tinker and utilize more 11.5/12 personnel than McVay ever has. They know there aren’t many Stafford years left and keeping him upright is their biggest priority.
The good news is that despite paying a principal’s ransom for their guards, they’re prepared for a world where that investment takes a bigger hit than Homer when he invested in Animotion. If Jackson’s injury issues continue they can move Avila and Limmer can be trusted. Should Dotson have any issues they can move Noteboom or even Bruss in as a guard for a week.
Should things get dark at tackle AJ Acuri can be promoted from the practice squad and eventually, they’ll have free agent Conor McDermott available at some point as well.
There’s actual flexibility this time around where in the last two years they had to pray that no one got hurt. The football gods taught them a lesson in 2022. Hopefully, that growth continues in 2025 when they address an aging Rob Havenstein and realize that they’ll also need a real franchise left tackle if Alaric Jackson can’t be counted on. For now, the Rams’ investment should pay off with an even more dynamic offense than they had last year.