If I had my way with that OLine, and other LA Rams thoughts

Recap

The LA Rams are simply too far along now to make any more seismic plate tectonic shifts on the offensive line. So are we ‘stuck’ with the current configuration? Perhaps, perhaps. But the past two seasons have taken their toll on the LA Rams offensive line. This year, facing a 17 game schedule, there will undoubtedly be some pitstops along the way to swap out one offensive lineman for another.

In the previous two seasons, that weighed in as a heavy concern. This year, the backup offensive linemen are showing rapid progress. I don’t know if the Rams coaches will eventually set up the depth chart to reflect what I’m seeing so far from the players. But as time passes, we’ve seen more and more positive reports about Coleman Shelton.  We are getting confirmation about Tremayne Anchrum and AJ Jackson. We’re seeing some positive grades from Jordan Meredith. And even though he is not in line for a starting role this year, OL Max Pircher is learning rapidly too.

There will be a period of adjustment for the LA Rams offense this year. Simply plopping veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford into this offense does not fix everything. In some ways, it will point out some of the other vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the current roster because elevating the expectations of the passing game will elevate the bar across the entire offense.

Some say that the LA Rams offense is garbage. No. It’s not. It was rated among the Top-Five offensive lines in the NFL in 2020 and is projected among the Top-Ten offensive lines in 2021. How can perceptions vary so significantly? Well, the offensive line in 2020 had four different configurations. The offensive line this year can have multiple versions as well.

If I had my way, based on what I’ve seen from the LA Rams so far, my starting offensive line would be Andrew Whitworth, Joseph Noteboom, Coleman Shelton, Austin Corbett, and Rob Havenstein. That configuration gives the offensive line the best chance of running the ball effectively. That, in turn, gives the offense the best chance to drive the ball downfield, move the chains, and put points on the board.

The LA Rams may yet tap the waiver wire for offensive linemen. I’m not sure that will be necessary. Offensive lines are like a Rubik’s cube. The solution is not getting one side correct, but it reordering the entire lot to get all sides correct. For now, it seems like the coaching staff has been trying to solve the mystery by solving one side at a time. They will get there. It will just take some time.