7 underdog LA Rams UDFAs who have real shot to earn roster spot

Center Cohl Cabral

This could be about the player, or it could be about the position. The LA Rams urgently need to find the player in 2020 who can solidify the center role for years to come. The only new interior offensive lineman signed by the Rams this offseason, Cohl Cabral
was an addition to the team at a position where the Rams passed drafting because they felt the available options were no better than players on the current roster. But then, in a move that seemed to go against that logic, the team committed to a new center.

Per NFL.com’s 2020 NFL Draft ranking, Cabral was the eighth-ranked center available in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the Rams signed him without the use of a draft pick. One of the most intriguing qualities about Cabral is that he has both left tackle and center experience, and those are certainly two hotspots on the LA Rams offensive line this year and into the future. Which prompts the question: do the Rams see Cabral as a pure center, or as a player who can develop as Andrew Whitworths eventual replacement?

Center of focus

For now, we’ll go with the center position. While the Rams are already on the threshold of anointing returning veteran Austin Blythe as the starter, I’m skeptical that he will retain that designation all season. He was thrust into the role simply because Brian Allen was out for the season and the Rams struggled at protecting the interior.  Even with his play, the Rams struggled to run the ball between the offensive tackles, and the pass protection still needed to improve blocking A-gap blitzes.

That’s hardly a strong endorsement of “keep things as they were”.  In fact, if any center shows a spark of competency at the position, I have to believe that the Rams will roll the dice in the hopes that he will improve as the season goes on. I believe that Cabral is truly the most talented center on the roster. Whether that will translate into a surprise starting role remains to be determined. But Cabral has a shot.  For a season with the deck stacked so significantly against an undrafted rookie making an NFL roster, that’s significant.