LA Rams: Rob Havenstein leads OL group in bargain basement

The LA Rams offensive line struggled mightily in 2019, and one of the veterans whose season was noticeably disappointing was that of offensive right tackle Rob Havenstein.  The downturn was significant and called his long-term future with the team into question. Even as the Rams’ entire offensive line was able to reset and perform at a much more consistent level in 2020, there were games through the season where the optics on Havenstein’s play did not show Pro Bowl potential.

Still, we do get it. The LA Rams have gone scrooge with offensive line contracts. The team has managed to get solid play from undervalued players because they have invested heavily in younger players on rookie deals. The test will happen in the 2022 NFL Free Agency market, as the Rams will need to pay up to five outbound veterans, or simply reload by promoting younger players who are still on their rookie contracts.

But for now, the LA Rams offensive line ranked as the third best line in the NFL in 2020 and is projected as the eighth-best line for 2021. And yet, that same offensive line is the 28th-ranked offensive line in terms of NFL compensation per Over The Cap.com.

That’s some bargain-basement shopping folks.

The reason is simple. The LA Rams are stuck under the tremendous weight of dead salary cap space. As such the team has not been able to keep pace with other NFL teams in terms of compensating the team’s players. While some will argue that the process has worked well enough so far, and so far it hasn’t hurt the team, that will eventually catch up to the team over time.

For the first time, 2021 witnessed other NFL teams cannibalizing the LA Rams coaching staff.  Suddenly, Rams’ positional coaches were hotly sought in the annual NFL coaching carousel. It’s those coaches who have helped to develop young overlooked players to replenish the ranks.