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NFL Rumors LA Rams bringing back Andrew Whitworth for 2020

By Bret Stuter

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Rodger Saffold #76 and Andrew Whitworth #77 of the Los Angeles Rams wait in the entrance tunnel before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Rodger Saffold #76 and Andrew Whitworth #77 of the Los Angeles Rams wait in the entrance tunnel before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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NFL Rumors report that LA Rams will re-sign left tackle Andrew Whitworth for the 2020 NFL season per Ian Rapoport

The LA Rams have some work to do to fix their offensive line. The Rams need to replace the services of outgoing left tackle Andrew Whitworth and guard/center Austin Blythe, who are bound to the 2020 NFL Free Agency market.  Of course, the plug-n-play rookies of Bobby Evans and David Edwards played better than expected. But by the time they were promoted to the starting line-up, the Rams expectations had fallen pretty low.

We had covered the Rams offensive line woes, and in the process learned that left tackle Andrew Whitworth was actually the highest graded offensive lineman for the LA Rams in 2019.  That led us to argue for the Rams re-signing Whitworth for 2020.  In short, the Rams had failed to draft his successor, and so the team is forced to bring him back on a short duration contract while the team develops his replacement.

Today, February 4, 2020, Ian Rappaport weighed in on the matter of the Rams and LT Andrew Whitworth, and endorsed the rumors that the Rams will be re-signing Andrew Whitworth

That is huge news for the Rams.  Whitworth is not only a solid left tackle, but he has been incredibly effective in coaching up rookie teammates around him. And that takes a huge item off the shopping list for general manager Les Snead.

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Of course, how much will the team pay Whitworth for 2020 and beyond? The most likely scenario is a short duration contract with limited guaranteed money.

Perhaps a two-year deal in the $10-15 million total range.  That will provide enough of a beachhead for the Rams to draft an eventual left tackle to replace Whitworth, or coach up a suitable successor from among the many young offensive linemen currently on the roster.

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Whitworth’s return does not improve the LA Rams offensive lline. But it certainly gives them a strong  beachhead to ensure 2020 has a chance of doing so.  This reinforces the likelihood that the Rams will be drafting Whitworth’s protege in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

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