LA Rams: Andrew Whitworth signs to protect Goff’s blindside

The LA Rams and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth agree on a new three-year contract

Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth will be back in an LA Rams uniform for the next three years. Whitworth reportedly signed a three-year deal to keep protecting quarterback Jared Goff‘s blindside. That new deal is worth $30 million, according to spotrac.com, and includes approximately $12.5 million of guarantees.

Whitworth joins interior offensive lineman Austin Blythe in returning to the Rams offensive line. LA has not been overly active in free agency, which is understandable given the team’s finances enter the market. However, they chose well in their pursuit of these two players, both of whom had a hand in stabilizing the 2019 offensive line towards the end of the season.

Whitworth turned 38 years old on December 12th. As of today and this signing, he is penciled in as the presumed starter at left tackle for the 2020 season. However, there is a chance that father time catches up with him, sooner than later.

In 2019, the old guy played 98.92% of the Rams offensive snaps, which counted out to1098 snaps in total. Whitworth actually played more offensive play snaps than any other Rams player, including Goff’s 1096.

Throughout his career, he had only missed nine games. He played 11 seasons in Cincinnati and missed eight games. So far, he missed one Rams game back in 2017. Talk about being durable and available to play.

Blythe played center after Brian Allen was lost for the season. Versatility is a very important skill to have when attempting to make an NFL roster. This will be Blythe’s fourth season in a Rams uniform, where he has played at all three different interior offensive line positions.

At the time of this writing, the new NFL year has begun. Expect the Rams to get serious about building the roster for the upcoming season. While the Rams will likely fill holes in the roster via free agency, the team will build desperately needed depth through the draft, particularly on defense.

So far, the Rams big free-agent stars on the defensive side of the ball have opted to sign with other teams. DE Michael Brockers, ILB Cory Littleton, and OLB Dante Fowler have all said their goodbyes to LA. In Fowler’s place, recently signed OLB Leonard Floyd will assume the Rams’ edge-rushing duties.  Floyd could possibly be the heir to Fowler’s position for the 2020 season  He signed a one-year deal worth $10 million. You can expect the Rams to address the edge rusher in the upcoming draft. Floyd has a connection to current defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, as he worked with Coach Staley in Chicago.

The Rams also used special team coordinator John Bonamego’s connections to the Detroit Lions to land a solid replacement for Brockers’ vacated role.  The new defensive lineman, A’Shawn Robinson, is a younger versatile player who can line up successfully at any of the Rams’ defensive line positions.  Let’s see how it all plays out.