LA Rams already fixed 2 of 5 items on 2022 punch list

Item II Resolved – Rams rushing offense restoration

The LA Rams offensive line is undergoing quite a metamorphosis in the next 18 months or so. Right now, the LA Rams have re-signed starting offensive center Brian Allen, his backup Coleman Shelton, and backup left tackle Joseph Noteboom to multi-year deals that have many projecting their 2022 offensive line as LT Joseph Noteboom, LG David Edwards, OC Brian Allen, RG Coleman Shelton, and RT Rob Havenstein.

That is a 40 percent difference from the offensive line that started the 2021 NFL season for the team. But at one point, the Rams were investigating playing LT Andrew Whitworth, LG David Edwards, OC Austin Corbett, RG Bobby Evans, and RT Rob Havenstein. So the Rams seem to have settled their questions about the center position for the time being.

Rams roster tweak

Ideally, I’d swap offensive guards, lining up Shelton next to Noteboom, and Edwards next to Havensteing. Here’s why:

Joseph Noteboom’s 2021 Pro Football Focus grade came in at 76.0 overall (Subscription required – 76.1 pass blocking, 70.3 run blocking). Coleman Shelton’s grade for the 2021 NFL season was 57.7.  Don’t be alarmed. Rather than sit on blocking one defender, Shelton frequently tried to block linebackers and defensive backs on the same play, often lowering his grade (two out of three in blocking is far better in a pragmatic sense than one out of one blocking).

Both Noteboom and Shelton display the ability to pull and move to the second and third levels of the defense. By reconfiguring the offensive line, the LA Rams create an artificial secondary pocket for veteran QB Matthew Stafford to his right behind Allen, Edwards, and Havenstein, while also getting more offensive line ‘push’ from the left side behind Noteboom and Shelton.  That gives the Rams a chance to retain solid pass protection while giving running backs desperately needed running lanes to carry the football in 2022.