5 LA Rams at perilous risk of losing starting job in training camp

Offensive tackle

The LA Rams 2019 offensive line by mid-season was more about warm breathing healthy bodies than any type of he-proved-he-can-do-it promotion.  So when the Rams pushed rookie Bobby Evans into the starting right tackle role last year, it was intended to be a duct-tape patch. After all, Bobby Evans was a rookie who was primarily a left tackle.

Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 312-pounds, the offensive tackle out of the University of Oklahoma certainly is big enough to handle the wear and tear on an NFL offensive line. But size is simply the cover charge. To earn a roster spot, an offensive lineman needs footwork, and placement, push out of his stance, a wide stance, and enough agility to pull out to lead a block for a running back.

One more year ought to do it

Evans did okay at these things. After all, he as not given the chance to practice with the starters. In fact, he was likely toggling between the second and third-string linemen in the training camp leading up to last season.  He has all the makings of a good NFL lineman, as long as he gets enough time to develop into one. In 2019? Time was the one thing he did not get.

That changes in 2020. He will get time to learn, to process, to get stronger, and to grow more confident.  Yes, he started in 2019, but he was not ready to be the starter. Not yet. More likely, with the absence of OT Chandler Brewer this season, he will likely be one of the players considered to back up LT Andrew Whitworth this season. He’ll be just fine. He just won’t be a starter this season