With Andrew Whitworth returning, Rams should shift focus to Rodger Saffold

Now that Andrew Whitworth is officially returning to the Los Angeles Rams for the 2019 season, the focus needs to shift to Rodger Saffold.

As the Los Angeles Rams continue to prepare for the upcoming combine in Indianapolis, Andrew Whitworth shared the news that fans have been waiting weeks to hear in regards to his plans to return to the team for the 2019 season.

Two years ago, the Rams were surprisingly viewed as one of the biggest winners of free agency after convincing the offensive lineman to come on board to Sean McVay‘s squad, despite the fact they were coming off a disappointing four-win season in 2016.

To say that 2016 season was a major embarrassment would be a huge understatement when looking at the fact that Jared Goff received little protection from the offensive line, and would fail to record a single win in seven starts.

Even though it wasn’t entirely his fault for obvious reasons, Rodger Saffold was a member of that struggling offensive line during that season, but at least the Indiana product has also been a key factor in the improvement by the unit over the last two seasons.

With that being said, Saffold’s future with the team has been one of the biggest questions surrounding Los Angeles since Super Bowl 53 came to an end since the veteran is expected to hit the open market after nine seasons with the team.

In order to keep the unit in great shape for the 2019 season, the Rams realize bringing Saffold back on a new deal would be beneficial for so parties. But since the NFL is still a business at the end of the day, and there’s always the risk of Saffold receiving better offers from other teams, this is one of those situations where Los Angeles doesn’t know how things will play out.

However, since the Rams now know they don’t have to worry about finding Whitworth’s replacement just yet since the offense will get at least one more season from their beloved lineman, Saffold should become a top priority heading into the new league year next month.

More than ever, Los Angeles is going to be facing heavy pressure to live up to expectations in 2019 after watching their embarrassing performance in Super Bowl 53, and while numerous factors will come into play, offensive line is going to be key once again.

The Rams deserve plenty of credit for the improvement displayed by the offensive line over the last two seasons to help make them a top contender in the NFL, but now it’s up to the team to make sure this success continues, and reward Saffold with a proper contract he clearly deserves.