Who is LA Rams’ replacement for Andrew Whitworth in 2022?

On March 15, 2022, the LA Rams star offensive left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, finally hung up his cleats. After a 16-year NFL career, Whitworth will retire as the starting offensive left tackle for the Super Bowl LVI Champions. His career of 16 years spanned two NFL teams, 11 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, and then five more years with the LA Rams.

As a five-year starter for the Rams, Whitworth was a major key contributor to the Rams’ success. But as is the trend in any Hollywood script, he saved his best for last. In 2021, Whitworth was selected Walter Payton Man of the Year, perhaps the most prestigious and coveted award in the NFL. The award is given to the player that shows his excellence on and off the field. He also finally earned his Super Bowl ring, a commemorative piece of jewelry awarded to anyone who wins an NFL Championship game.

And finally, he had the opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Not just anywhere, mind you. But he lifted the coveted Icon of NFL Excellence over his head in Los Angeles, California. He won that chance by defeating his former team, the Bengals, and for his current team, the LA Rams. 16 NFL seasons, the ending of a career that would take a novel to properly narrate.

While his NFL chapter with the LA Rams may be ending here, the Rams’ need for an offensive tackle to align on veteran quarterback does not. Whoever the Rams decide to replace Whitworth with at left tackle, has huge shoes to fill.

So let’s not be too quick to just anoint his successor. After all, it’s an important role to fill, perhaps one of the Top-Five roles on this team. So I’ve compiled some replacement options for Whitworth going into the 2022 season on the next slides. The idea was not simply to just plop names into the mix, but to cast a wide net. So who could be next in line?