As organized team activities commence, the Los Angeles Rams are finally able to start working with their new personnel and new position arrangements. This will be most interesting in their offensive line unit. With big name free agent Andrew Whitworth coming into the squad and a few other veterans moving around, the team is working toward a major improvement. Players are training in all positions under new line coach Aaron Kromer and although they did not draft a lineman, they did pick up plenty of undrafted free agents. With the new efforts, coach Sean McVay is putting a focus on the protection of Jared Goff and the enabling of Todd Gurley, as well as the overall offense.
Rebuilding the Los Angeles Rams Offensive Line for 2017
Off-season Moves
The Rams have nowhere but up to go in terms of their offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked them in the bottom five last season and no one could rightfully argue. They hit the bottom of the league in total yards per game with a dismal 262.7 and 14 points per game. An offense begins and ends at the offensive line and their poor performance easily takes a great deal of the blame for the deficiency.
This was a key reason for the major off-season moves from the new leadership. Many were shocked, but Rams supporters were immensely pleased with the signing of tested veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth. The lineman has made All-Pro teams twice and was seen at the Pro Bowl three times. He proved himself to be a dependable and forceful presence on the Cincinnati Bengals line for ten strong seasons. Adding to this was the hiring of Aaron Kromer, the mastermind of the Buffalo Bills line that had led the league in rushing yards per game for the past two seasons. The signings were a message for what this entire off season and era will be about: solid, fundamental football.
Personnel Assessment
As it stands now, the Rams are playing with Whitworth at left tackle, Rodger Saffold at left guard, newly signed John Sullivan at center, Rob Havenstein at right guard and Jamon Brown currently running with the first team at right tackle. Former number two overall pick Greg Robinson will be expected to compete at right tackle as well.
However, it would be wise not to grow too attached to this lineup as more moves can be expected. News broke earlier in the off-season that the linemen would be cross-training at different positions to ensure that everyone is being used to their full strengths. In a very unconventional turn, McVay and Kromer are convinced that the problem is not personnel, but rather coaching.
This same line of thinking explains the team not taking an offensive lineman in the 2017 NFL Draft, which raised eyebrows across the league. Now when looking at the lineup it contains:
The proven veteran at left tackle.
By most accounts, the most reliable lineman on the team for the past few seasons is Saffold. He has played in over ten games in four of the last five seasons and was the de facto leader of the unit last season. He was as consistent as it got last year for the team and he took on the challenge of moving across positions all year.
They then have another veteran in Sullivan at center, who has experience and a strong resume. He anchored the Minnesota Vikings line that saw Adrian Peterson rushing for 2,097 yards – eight yards short of the record held by a familiar name, Eric Dickerson. Experience is the commodity being sought by Los Angeles and Sullivan is a textbook player to add to that strategy.
At right guard, the big man, Havenstein, looks to rebound from injury and an off year at a more secure position. He will be able to use his speed and his abundance of size to clear up inside runs that Gurley builds his game around.
Finally, and perhaps the most unclear spot, right tackle will be a battle between the emerging Brown and the bust-leaning Robinson. Unfortunately, this is one of the most important positions, so a question mark here is a real issue. However, competition breeds excellence. Therefore, McVay may find a gem in Brown or a final awakening of Robinson in this process.
The problems on the offensive line may not be solved for Los Angeles quite yet. One thing is clear though, mediocrity will no longer be accepted. The team is sold on Jared Goff and they want Todd Gurley to be the star he needs to be. They are ready to bring greatness to Los Angeles and entering OTAs, they will be working intensely with their offensive line to achieve these goals. Though much is up in the air and no conclusions can be drawn until the pads come on and the games count, things are looking up for Los Angeles and it is enough to get fans excited with good reason.
