LA Rams: 5 ‘gotta do’s’ for this year’s training camp
By Bret Stuter
OL woes
Okay, the LA Rams tried to low ball IOL veteran Austin Blythe and it didn’t pay off. So the Rams are moving RG Austin Corbett to OC and sticking in OT Bobby Evans at RG. In short, the Rams are not fixing one spot, but are experimenting with two offensive line positions. With a new offensive line coach now in Kevin Carberry, the Rams are attempting to ease the organization into a slow methodical transition. Hey guys? Sort out the offensive line. Seriously.
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All for one and one for all. That’s just how it goes for an NFL offensive line, and that is both a plus and a minus. No matter how well soon-to-be-40 Andrew Whitworth plays this season, if Evans does not hold up his end of the deal, the entire unit underwhelms. And so, this unit needs to be configured with the best five offensive linemen on the roster.
I’m not convinced that Evans is the fifth-best offensive lineman on the roster. Perhaps? Well, we have a full training camp to sort it all out. But to be fair, I would assert that Joseph Noteboom, who started at left guard last season, and David Edwards, who started at right guard in 2019, make a better configuration. And then, there are the options of playing Tremayne Anchrum, Chandler Brewer, and Coleman Shelton, and the offensive line is suddenly back to being just as muddy as the inside linebacker position.
While the team will have time to sort it all out, This is a challenge because the Rams will need to find the right starting five, plus enough backups who can plug-n-play throughout the 2021 17-game season who can make it all go well. The organization did an outstanding job of sliding David Edwards in for and injured Joseph Noteboom. It also did an admirable effort getting Noteboom in for Andrew Whitworth. But it all seemed to tumble down upon itself when the offensive line lost Edwards and Evans had to start against the Green Bay Packers.
Backups matter. That is why this training camp is so critical.