Why do so many bash backup LA Rams offensive linemen?

Playing behind a great starter

Offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom is entering his contract year. In his young NFL career, he’s played in 32 NFL games, and started 15 of them. An offensive tackle out of Texas Christian University, he’s split his time between left guard, left tackle and special teams play. He’s played 131 snaps at special teams and split his 1087 offensive snaps about 50/50 between guard and tackle.

Los Angeles Rams

He has played for the LA Rams for three seasons. In 2022, he may very well be a starter for another NFL team, as he will enter the NFL Free Agency market. But nobody is excited about his play. Even after stepping up in the second half of the 2020 season and playing well enough to get the LA Rams into the NFL Playoffs, little has been written about him.

For the record? In games that Andrew Whitworth finished as the left tackle in the regular season, the Rams were 5-3. In games that Joseph Noteboom finished as the left tackle in the regular season, the Rams were 5-3. Perfect? Of course not. per PFF stats, he was flagged three times and allowed two quarterback sacks. But he was rushed into a starting role and performed well enough to allow the Rams to maintain positive momentum.

Playing behind a great starter is incredibly effective camouflage regarding judging the quality of the reserve players. If Whitworth is having an outstanding season (he was), anyone playing behind him could still be capable of very good starts but is simply playing behind a great starter (Noteboom did).

In the absence of preseason games in 2020, reserve offensive linemen have gone off the radar scope of NFL fans for virtually two years. Out of sight, out of mind. Nobody has witnessed the progress made by Bobby Evans, Jamil Demby, or Joseph Noteboom. So, rather than admit that nobody is certain what they might deliver, they fall back to the universally accepted statement.

He sucks.