Los Angeles Rams: PFF ranking shows offensive line isn’t getting any younger

Pro Football Focus recently conducted their offensive line rankings for the 2018 season, and put the Los Angeles Rams at No. 10.

Last offseason, one of the biggest concerns surrounding the Los Angeles Rams was improving the offensive line when seeing how horrendous the unit looked in 2016. Even more frustrating, the poor play from the offensive line played a role in Jared Goff failing to win a single game in seven attempts as a rookie, making it seem like he was in for a brutal NFL career.

With that being said, Los Angeles knew they would be taking a risk by making Sean McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history, and seeing him waste no time in the 2017 offseason improving the offensive line by signing Andrew Whitworth shows he meant business.

After spending the first 11 years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, the decision on Whitworth’s end to join a team in the Rams coming off a four-win season shows how much confidence the veteran had in McVay as a coach. Right away, Whitworth’s presence along with a few other key adjustments helped Los Angeles become one of the most improved units during the 2017 season.

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As a result, Goff was finally able to receive the proper protection under center, and Todd Gurley was able to put together a strong enough season to finish second in the MVP voting, with Tom Brady taking home the honors. Most importantly, Los Angeles would go on to win the NFC West while making a strong case about being one of the top teams to beat in the NFC.

Thanks to this surprise success, the Rams will enter the 2018 season as one of the early favorites to make a legitimate run at the Super Bowl, and with a strong offensive line along with numerous other key factors, there’s a good chance of this happening. In fact, the folks at Pro Football Focus recently put together a ranking of the top offensive lines for the upcoming season, and with Los Angeles coming in at No. 10, it’s impressive, but also points out how the unit is getting up there in age.

From PFF:

"The Rams offensive line was arguably the most-improved unit in the NFL in 2017 after the additions of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center Jon Sullivan. How long they’ll remain at that level remains to be seen though as Sullivan turns 33 this year and Whitworth 37. Whitworth already showed signs of slowing down late in the season as his Wild Card performance against the Falcons was the lowest-graded game of his entire career."

The good news for the Rams is despite guys like Whitworth and John Sullivan getting up there in age, the team believes the selections of players like Joe Noteboom and and Brian Allen in this year’s draft came at a perfect time.

By learning from some of the veterans in Whitworth and Sullivan, Los Angeles is setting the foundation for the future of their offensive line with youngsters like Noteboom and Allen. So as concerning as it may seem for the offensive line of the Rams to be getting up there in age, there really isn’t any reason for concern.

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If anything, expect Los Angeles to take advantage of the key veterans on the offensive line as long as they can, and worry later on about making the necessary adjustments when the time comes. Not to mention, the Rams have every reason to be thrilled over landing in the top 10 on PFF’s list when seeing where the unit was two years ago.