7 LA Rams players who must step up this season

While the LA Rams boast some of the best talent in the NFL, true winning teams find contributors up and down the roster. Here are 7 such players who need to step up this year

There is no question that the LA Rams have a number of young players seeking an opportunity to play this year. The Rams had cobbled together a solid competitor each season under Head Coach Sean McVay, focusing on the scheme and then adding players who compliment and flourish in that design.

Each year, the Rams had faced the challenge of paying for the excellent play of veterans who did flourish in that scheme, or reloading the talent pipeline by promoting the next man up. What happens next is up to the player, the coaching staff, and the opportunity.  The  plan may have hit a snag at the onset of the 2019 season.  Young players entered the season seemingly unprepared.

On offense, the Rams had promoted backup left guard Joseph Noteboom, backup center Brian Allen, and rookie running back Darrell Henderson to starting, or significant playing time, roles.  Not one player was able to convert that opportunity into a pleasant surprise last season.

In the 2020 off-season, contracts expire for OLB Dante Fowler Jr., DE Michael Brockers, ILB Cory Littleton, ILB Bryce Hager, LT Andrew Whitworth, and G Austin Blythe. While it’s everyone’s hope that the team can restructure player contracts to re-sign these pending free agents, the harsh business side of football may mean that the Rams will be entering the 2020 season without some or all of these players.  How can the Rams compete with so much production walking away simultaneously? Regardless of the outcome of free agency, the Rams are determined to claw their way back to the Super Bowl in 2020.

NFL plan of succession

So now the Rams juggernaut of ever improving success hits a hard snag.  The only way to overcome the decline resulting from losing so many free agents in 2020 is to find players who can fill the void.  We examined what that might look like by examining the 2020 NFL Draft mock 2.0, where the Rams attempt to fill vacancies caused by an inability to re-sign any free agents this off-season.

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While that is most certainly a worst case scenario for the Los Angeles Rams, that mock draft proves that there is plenty of promising talent to yield some potential starters next year.  Still, a team failing to plan for losing players to expensive new contracts has failed in several ways. From the moment a player earns the starting role, the front office and coaching staff must prepare for the next player to step up.

A more likely scenario for a bad 2020 free agency outcome would be promoting existing players to starting roles, and drafting players to compete for playing time.  In that scenario, the Rams enter training camp knowing who they will depend on through the season. It also adds a bit of competition to the off-season, as rookies will still have the opportunity to win a starting role by outplaying and usurping the veteran projected in that role.

The Center solution

The LA Rams will lose interior offensive lineman Austin Bythe this year, and starting center Brian Allen is coming off an ACL injury.  Prior to his injury, Allen was struggling at the center position in the wake of veteran center John Sullivan.  So the Rams need competition for arguably the most important position of the offensive line, the center

C Coleman Shelton

Coleman Shelton was a mid-season addition to the team in the midst of the offensive linemen injury epidemic.  While he was signed from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad to the 53-man roster, he was a solid addition for several reasons. First and foremost, he is extremely versatile. He has experience at the University of Washington at all five offensive line positions. Ultimately, he played center for two years where he dominated both in pass and run blocking.

Some projections pose either Brian Allen or Austin Corbett to center, but the team played far better when Corbett slid to the left guard position, a more natural role for him. Allen struggled horribly at center.  Shelton, conversely, is most at home snapping the ball. Entering the 2019 NFL Draft, I projected him as a potential prospect for the Rams, and am still convinced he has tremendous upside for Los Angeles.

The Rams need to improve their running game, and Coleman Shelton is a step in that direction. He is a very athletic, and can lead block on sweeps and mis-directions, as well as penetrate to the secondary and block downfield.

But the Rams will benefit from his pass blocking as well.  NFL defenses ravaged the Rams inexperience at the interior offensive line by hammering at the A gap with blitz packages. Oftentimes the center moved to pickup the wrong defender, leaving quarterback Jared Goff scrambling for his life.  Shelton is a savvy center, and understands the need to pick up the correct defender on each play.

Behind the shadow of Aaron Donald

The LA Rams had developed inside linebacker Cory Littleton from an undrafted free agent signing into one of the top free agents of 2020.  With that track record, is it any wonder that the Rams may believe they have more talent in the pipeline?  Littleton is one of the most coveted free agents to hit the NFL Free Agent market this year.

ILB Troy Feeder

Inside linebacker Troy Feeder has followed a similar path as that of Cory Littleton. He too arrived to the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and has slowly earned an ever growing role with the team.  In 2019, Reeder put up 53 tackles and two forced fumbles on just 298 defensive snaps and 309 special teams snaps.  Keep in mind he played as a rookie UDFA from the University of Delaware, and started eight games for the Rams in 2019.

Projecting that same impact into 2020, his tackles project over the 100 mark easily.  Beyond that, he will be returning for his second season, which usually designates the most improvement in a career of an NFL player. In comparison, Littleton did not see as much playing time until his third NFL season.

Reeder has flashed brilliance on defense, foreshadowing a dominating future for the Rams.  In a two-week period, he amassed 24 tackles, 16 of which were solo. While there is no guarantee he can sustain that high production, he stood out against division rivals San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. It’s clear that the market for Littleton will escalate rapidly.  But where Feeder may not excel in pass coverage, he may help the team beat on opponent’s running backs with far more consistency.

Running with the.. Gurley?

When the Rams used a 2019 third round pick on running back Darrell Henderson, it was very clear that the team intended more than a casual appearance from him in the 2019 season. A running back in the third round is the equivalent to an offensive lineman in the first round. That selection implies the prospect will see plenty of playing time in the upcoming season.

RB Darrell Henderson

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The Rams selection of Darrell Henderson seemed to confirm what many have feared all along.  Running back Todd Gurley‘s absence from the end of the 2018 season and through much of the playoffs was more than a tweak. And despite adding Henderson’s big play ability to the Rams already rather potent rushing attack, the Rams faltered in the running offense.  Even though the Rams boast running backs Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown, and Henderson, the team eliminated 50 running plays from the offense.  They ended up as passing attempts off the arm of quarterback Jared Goff.

For the Rams to find success in 2020, the offense must be far more balanced. To be more balanced on offense, the burden does not fall upon Gurley, but rather upon second year running back Henderson.

Henderson’s speed rivals that of San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert, and could be equally effective in the running game. While Gurley will likely get his 200 carries and land in the 800 + yards in 2020, those number are simply not good enough to rally the offense nor to win the time of possession battle.  Henderson can help by picking up about 120 carries. If his 2019 average remains consistent, he will add 600 + yards to the offense, and restore  the teams running game to the 2000 yard plateau.

Crazy like a Fox

The Rams are scrambling to find enough free salary cap space to sign some of their projected free agents this off-season.  One primary target is defensive end Michael Brockers. As the team focuses on run defense, Brockers remains a standout on the team providing exactly that – stout run defense. Still, can the cash-strapped Rams re-sign Brockers? If not, is the sky falling over Los Angeles Rams’ defensive front in 2020?

DE Morgan Fox

Not if defensive end Morgan Fox has a say in it. Fox is a 6-foot-3 275 pound defensive end from Colorado State University who signed one with the Rams as a 2016 undrafted free agent.  Now Fox is in perfect position to assume a role vacated by the long time Rams veteran.  He is the type of player who assumes the role in a sense of responsibility – playing his best so as not to let down his former teammate, and friend, Michael Brockers.

Fox sees himself among his teammates as a tank filled with piranha, and on the Rams defense, that is as good of an analogy as there is out there.

Fox saw action on 353 defensive snaps, or 32 percent of the plays. He played in all 16 games, while getting three starts for the Rams.  While playing as a backup, he was rather efficient, recording 18 tackles and two sacks. He also accounted for a five quarterback pressures,  two hurries and one quarterback knockdown. In contrast, Brockers played on 69 percent of the defensive plays, recorded 63 tackles, three sacks, and nine quarterback hits.

Fox currently stands as a restricted free agent in 2020. But based on the team needs, Fox’s production, and the cheap price to bring him back, the Rams would be wise to do so.

Too soon to cry Fowl…er?

Every defense needs a solid pass rush. And so it is that the Rams are hoping to re-sign OLB Dante Fowler Jr.  Simultaneously, 31 other NFL teams are looking to add pass rushing talent from the free agency market. The Rams edge rusher is the number one item on many NFL teams’ free agent shopping list. While the Rams would feel the sting of Fowler’s departure, the team has some younger players on the roster who are preparing for a larger role on the defense.

OLB Samson Ebukam

Outside linebacker Samson Ebukam has been a mixed bag for the Rams so far. He was selected in round four of the 2017 NFL Draft from Eastern Washington, alongside teammate Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp. The Rams had planned to develop him into a starting edge rusher rather quickly. Unfortunately, his development has taken longer than many had expected.

Now in his fourth season, Ebukam is coming off a season where he recorded 487 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He saw action on 565 defensive snaps, or 51 percent of the time. While he played in all 16 games, he recorded just five starts in 2019.

Of course, he will compete with outside linebackers Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Justin Lawler. But Ebukam has a host of experience in the postition, and will be difficult to knock out of his perch. While Ebukam has fought hard to remain on the 53-man roster, he now must earn a starting role.  Despite disappointing development so far, Ebukam  needs to step up and seize the opportunity this year. While he has yet to wow in the NFL, he is in the best position to do so this year.

Get Whit the program!

With the exodus of LA Rams veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the team must find a new blind side offensive tackle on a shoestring budget. That is, of course, unless the Rams believe they already have his replacement on the roster. And veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein had a bad season as well. So many holes to plug, so little time.

OT Bobby Evans

Rookie Bobby Evans picked up starts at right tackle when Rob Havenstein fell to injury, and did a surprisingly respectable job.  Surprising in that Evans was a natural left tackle in college.  Respectable in that he actually performed far better than long time veteran RT Havenstein whom he replaced.  While that was the way the 2019 season shook out, the Rams got a lot of mileage and experience into their young offensive linemen.

Now the Rams must capitalize on that robust experience among their young linemen, and fill openings on the line for the 2020 NFL season.  Evans was a typical third round projection for an offensive line.  Projected NFL starter with plenty of solid fundamentals, good power, long arms, and solid versatility along offensive line positions and in both the running and passing game.  His draft analysis cited a need for more coaching to improve his footwork and leveraging techniques.

With a year under his belt, those lessons have been taught. This year’s training camp will now likely be a doubly effective refresher course.  Of course, the team has additional options in Joe Noteboom and Chandler Brewer, but Evans auditioned successfully in 2019. Now he will have a chance to learn the starting left tackle role throughout training camp.

The Have’s, and the Haven…stein

The Rams may have had some plans in place for the offensive line for 2019. But the team had to rally around filling vacancies after injuries to first year starters G Joe Noteboom and C Brian Allen. A the team reacted to act, whatever plans the team had were immediately chucked out the window.  Minor injuries afflicted OT Rob Havenstein, and C/G Austin Blythe to the point where the Rams had to “make do”. One such plug and hope he plays well was rookie David Edwards.

OT David Edwards

The LA Rams needed to fill holes in the offensive line early in the season, and continued to plug and play throughout the season. Whether wise anticipation, or just blind luck, the Rams fortuitously chose two offensive linemen in the 2019 NFL Draft.  While David Edwards was the lower selection, his peformance in 2019 may have been that much better than teammate Bobby Evans.

Edwards lined up at right guard after the team pulled veteran Austin Blythe to center. A rookie starting in the NFL at an unfamiliar position is an awfully difficult assignment with which to succeed. But Edwards did an amazing job from the right guard position. All the while Rob Havenstein was deeply disappointing in 2019.

The LA Rams should give Edwards a solid look at the right tackle position. If Havenstein can earn the start, slide Edwards back to right guard. If Edwards wins the starting RT spot, then it’s time to put Havenstein on the trading block.