LA Rams News: 2020 or bust for these 5 offensive players

Rob Havenstein

Which Rob Havenstein will show up for the Rams in 2020? Will it be the burly powerful offensive lineman from 2018 who knocks defenders off the line of scrimmage with ease? Or will it be the 2019 version, a player who struggled at both his run and pass blocking as though he was playing for his first season in the NFL?

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Havenstein’s return to his 2018 form would be a huge plus for the LA Rams.  If he is able to do that, the Rams suddenly have a very solid offensive line.  Perhaps not ranked among the top ten in the NFL, but after a season of a 31st-ranked offensive line, even a showing better than 20th in the league would be a dramatic improvement.  And it all starts with Havenstein at right tackle.

Doubly disappointing

While other positions were problematic for the Rams, Havenstein’s 2019 performance was doubly disappointing.  Haventstein was a returning veteran, he benefited from playing alongside veteran right guard Austin Blythe, and he returned to his natural NFL position.  Despite all these factors, he struggled mightily in the role. That is until he fell to injury and sat out the remainder of 2019. In his place, the Rams saw some promise in rookie offensive tackle Bobby Evans off the bench. So promising was Evans that its possible that Havenstein may lose his starting role to Evans this year.

Havenstein needs to show up in a big way this year. The Rams have complete confidence in their stable of young linemen added over the past 24 months. So confident, in fact, that any weakness by Havenstein this year will likely place him on the trading block. Even with no takers, the Rams have proven to have the resolve to part ways with veterans who fail to live up to their lofty contracts.  There are too many young linemen waiting in the wings for the Rams to give Havenstein more chances.  2020 or bust it is.  Now onto his teammate, Austin Blythe.