Is the LA Rams offensive line already better off than it was a year ago?

Fix the offensive line

The comments sections of almost every article posted right now invariably have multiple remarks to the effect of ‘Fix the offensive line,’ as a response to almost every topic. And to the casual fans, the LA Rams offensive line is indeed a mystery right now. But if you’ve read this far, you can see what has taken place by the team in terms of restocking the offensive line already.

To help clarify even further, let’s break down the gains and losses to the Rams’ offensive line from 2022:

Losses (2): David Edwards, Bobby Evans
Gains (2): Logan Bruss, Zach Thomas
TBD: Ty Nsekhe, Matt Skura, Oday Aboushi, Cole Turner, Coleman Shelton

Right now, it all appears to be a ‘push,’ doesn’t it? But that’s before considering the vast amount of experience afforded to the team’s depth players, as well as the opportunity to get live video footage on a number of free agents who could be extended into 2023 at a reasonable cost. And all of this is before the Rams make a single selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Don’t look for wholesale changes

Fix the offensive line? That is not something that the front office does in the offseason. It’s a constant maintenance, a process that the Rams do not rely upon performing upon the arrival of the annual NFL Draft to achieve.

The LA Rams waived Bobby Evans. And David Edwards, due to his health concerns, is almost a certainty not to be re-signed.  If there is such a thing as addition by subtraction, then the LA Rams could be placed in that category simply with those two losses.

Should the Rams draft offensive linemen? A valid argument could be made to address both the offensive center and the left tackle position, based on the experiences from 2022. But those needs have arisen from lessons learned, not some sudden drop in the talent available to the Rams’ offensive line.

The Rams have their new offensive coordinator. Now the team must hire the ever-important offensive line coach. After that, the Rams will assess and address the offensive line. Will the team draft an offensive lineman? Perhaps. But with 10 draft picks, I will be shocked if the team selects more than two offensive linemen in the draft.

I like some of the players who were signed in 2022. I think that Ty Nsekhe and perhaps Oday Aboushi could be extended into 2023 at an affordable price. Should that happen, then the team could get away with drafting just one offensive lineman in the 2023 NFL Draft. How do you feel the Rams should address the offensive line this offseason?