LA Rams IPP OL Max Pircher is going to be a good one in 2023

With so much focus on the LA Rams offensive line and the turnstile that seems to have become part of managing the Rams roster at the position, some fans have become so frustrated that they are calling for the Rams to blow up the unit and start over.

Whether or not that could be a feasible solution, it’s not one I’d expect the LA Rams to take this off-season. For starters, many of the injured players today will be back to full health by the start of the 2023 NFL season and are quite capable of performing and even starting on an NFL starting offensive line.

But there are more reasons not to rush to the 2023 NFL Draft with a shopping list for multiple offensive linemen. Too many are overlooking the fact that the Rams have some quality talent waiting in the wings. Like who?  Well, International Pathway Program offensive lineman Max Pircher, for starters.

So why isn’t Pircher playing already if he is so good? Well, the way that the NFL has the IPP structured, NFL teams get a free roster spot as long as that player is carried on the team’s practice squad. So, as long as the LA Rams have Max Pircher on the practice squad, he is not counted against their roster limits.

Pircher has significant potential for 2023

That all changes as soon as the LA Rams sign Pircher to their active roster. From that point, he becomes a regular player on an NFL roster and is subject to the same treatment as other NFL players.  The program is intended to encourage NFL teams to coach international players to compete for roster spots on NFL teams.

Pircher has been performing well for the LA Rams and showed up as a standout on the offensive line in preseason games. But the Rams clearly want to keep Pircher in the exempt roster spot as long as possible.

Pircher is one of several promising offensive linemen returning to the Rams roster next season who should be competing for a starting role. He will be joined by offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Tremayne Anchrum Jr., and rookie Logan Bruss. Will the LA Rams draft offensive linemen from the 2023 NFL Draft? Perhaps.

But despite the struggles shown this season, talented offensive linemen will compete for starting roles, with or without rookies, next season.