Time to give LA Rams OT Joseph Noteboom credit as NFL 6th OL of the Year

The NFL could learn a thing or two when it comes to acknowledging that one guy who comes off the bench to make things happen. For the LA Rams, that player is offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom, who has become a bit of a hometown hero in his ability to plug and play with almost no notice at virtually any offensive line position.

Well, an under-the-radar hometown hero, but a hero nevertheless. And that unique ability is what contributed to the Rams’ upset victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Week 14 before a national audience on Monday Night Football.

I’m not certain that many truly appreciate the value of a player who can be shoved into a starting role with little to no preparation or advance warning, but I can assure you that role is one of the most difficult to perform in the NFL. In fact, lining up as a starting offensive lineman with no advance prep time is one of the most difficult situations to face in the NFL.

Noteboom has flourished this year in stepping in for the Rams

Rams star 6th man

And yet, Noteboom is playing lights out as the Rams ‘6th man’ offensive lineman. It’s not because Noteboom stepped up for the LA Rams starting right tackle Rob Havenstein. It’s the fact that he stepped up for Andrew Whitworth in Week 8, for Rob Havenstein in Week 14, and even stepped in as a sixth offensive lineman in Week 13.

He was selected with the 89th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft from Texas Christian University.  He has remained a reserve offensive lineman for the most part but has started out both the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the team’s starting left guard. In both years, injury forced him to Injured Reserve and eventually demotion to a backup role.

He did manage to step in as a starter for left tackle Andrew Whitworth in 2020 and start the final half of the season as the left tackle. Noteboom is a 6-foot-5 321-pound offensive lineman who is playing in the last year of his rookie contract, and his ability to plug-n-play this year has truly increased his value to other NFL teams. Hear what LA Rams GM Les Snead talk about Noteboom at the 10:45 mark.

"“Internally, we’ve felt confident in what Joe does. And just to give everyone a little bit of insight, Joe’s one of those players where a lot of teams tried to trade for him,” Snead said. “Right? They looked at our lineup and go – okay, Joe’s maybe the third tackle and we always said no, that wouldn’t be a worthwhile trade based on, right? The upcoming season and the attrition that goes into , losing an offensive lineman.” – per LA Rams GM Les Snead on the Coach McVay show (see video above)"

He has proven to be invaluable to the Rams this season. And with the team facing the possible retirement of Andrew Whitworth, will the Rams extend Noteboom? That is certainly a topic for another day, as the Rams would certainly benefit from the continuity of welcoming Noteboom back next year. But the shopping list and priorities for extending players may exhaust the Rams funds before they can make a fair offer to their star swing tackle.

Joseph Noteboom is finishing just his fourth NFL season. He has the potential to be a very good, if not star, offensive lineman. Thanks to his unsung heroics, the LA Rams continue to win in 2021.