Is this IOL Austin Blythe’s last hurrah with the LA Rams?

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Of course, the key to benefiting from an offseason where players get to practice at the position they started at in 2019 first requires getting those players back for training camp. Perhaps that is one of the primary reasons for the Rams opting to bring back all of last year’s offensive linemen for another go of it.  While it certainly places more pressure on both the front office and the offensive line coaches, it creates a scenario with a huge upside.

Who truly is looking for anyone from the LA Rams offensive line to have a Pro-Bowl season? The answer to that is nobody. But could it happen? Certainly. 2019 was the worst of all conditions for an offensive line on so many levels. And if an offensive lineman can survive, or even play at about par in that type of a season, why shouldn’t the upside of getting healthy and getting practice snaps for that position be a Pro-Bowl berth?

From freshman to senior

Blythe may surprise many this year. With a preseason projection of struggling to beat out the competition of an undrafted rookie and player signed fro the practice squad last year, that’s not difficult to do. What will be very interesting is how well Blythe improves on shutting down interior blitzes.  If he can accomplish that, then the next step is getting a push up the middle to open up some running lanes between the tackles. He can do it too, as he is no longer the youngster on the line, but has emerged this season as a senior statesman.

If he managed to excel as an offensive center in 2020, how would that help the team’s offense? For starters, running plays up the middle would be effective again. That would open up run-pass option plays once more. That would give the Rams options for three-receiver formations once more, and give a besieged QB Jared Goff more options in the passing game.  Yes, a lot of “ifs” in there. But it was a domino-effect of bad luck “ifs” that plummeted the Rams to a 31st-ranked offensive line in 2019. So why not cheer for the opposite effect in 2020?