7 players who face playing their last game for the LA Rams

C Blythe

The LA Rams re-signed their 2019 offensive linemen in 2020 to ensure that the team would have an opportunity to determine how well the unit could play if everyone was healthy. One of the benefits to that has landed the Rams a solid center in Austin Blythe who played all 16 games for the team. And so far, the Rams $3.9 million salary hit seems like a wise investment for the position for one year. But the market prices for centers has just gone up in a big way.

And so the NFL market is set for centers. For a comparison to the Rams Blythe, Roullier has allowed just one sack, was flagged for five penalties, and was graded by Pro Football Focus at 77.7. Blythe allowed four sacks, was flagged for one penalty, and received a PFF grade of 68.1 for 2020. Even if the Rams wanted to do so, there is no way that the team will pay that much for a center.

Bye bye Blythe?

The LA Rams knew that the market for offensive centers would heat up this offseason, which is why the team did bring in undrafted rookie Cohl Cabral.  While Cabral did not survive the entire season, the team does have former starting center Brian Allen waiting in the wings. In fact, Allen has been slowly rehabbing his knee all season, and is no longer appearing on the team’s injury report.

Blythe is an NFL starter now at both the right guard and the center position, and for the right general manager, that could be a very valuable combination indeed. It’s enough to consider Blythe signing elsewhere as a potential inclusion for the 2022 NFL Draft compensatory picks awarded to the Rams.  With a potential contract valued at approximately $8 million per season, Blythe will be set up handsomely for 2021 and beyond. He likely will be gone next year, and the Rams could find themselves in the running for a 2022 NFL Draft fifth-round compensatory pick as a result.