Why did the LA Rams pass on this former Jets OL coach?

We know that the LA Rams offense needed to hire a new offensive line coach, but the truth of the matter is that this hire could be the most important addition to the team’s success in 2023. Could being the operative word. After all, the OL position coach is only one gear to the machinery that continues to churn out successful offensive lines.

The LA Rams have a formula, a design set of specifications that has resulted in the team finding better-than-average NFL success. That set of specs has been consistent since 2017. In quick summary, the team pays for an elite player in the position of a pass rusher, cornerback, blindside offensive tackle, wide receiver, and finally quarterback.

The rest of the roster has been constructed in such a manner as to balance out the number of players on the roster at various positional groups and the compensation of those players in those positional groups based on the team’s current set of circumstances.

Look for LA Rams to stick with a winning formula

Don’t expect the LA Rams to suddenly abandon the path that led the organization to two Super Bowl appearances in the past six years. While the fans continue to demand that the Rams invest multiple draft picks into their offensive line, I wouldn’t be too quick to die on that hill. The Rams had far too many injuries to the offensive line in 2019 and now in 2022 to form a fair objective assessment of the quality of individual players.

Since 2022 seems to be following in the footsteps of 2019, does it seem reasonable to expect the LA Rams offensive line to rebound significantly in 2023? I think that could prove to be the case, but there are always extenuating circumstances. One such variable is who the LA Rams hire to become their new offensive line coach.

One of the candidates who interviewed for the role is former San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets OL Coach John Benton:

So what can I tell you about this new candidate that you don’t already know?

Things to like about OL coach John Benton

There are many things to point to and appreciate about Coach John Benton. But for starters, let’s dial the time machine back to his familiarity with the Rams, as he was a former OL Coach for the St. Louis Rams from 2003-2005. That was just the start of his NFL offensive line coaching career that has spanned 20 years and included the Rams, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and finally the New York Jets.

And coach with 20+ years of experience who is available is worth talking to, if for nothing more than just the sheer volume of valuable insights and experiences that are so precious and unique. The LA Rams know that the success of this offense hinges almost entirely on the OL coach, so that amount of experience is worth investigating.

Check out this video clip of John Benton

Dare to check him out yourself? You can click on this link here to view a video of John Benton speaking before the 2022 Senior Bowl, an incredible experience for any positional coach to get first-hand experiences with young prospects and have the chance to sample their coachability, maturity, and a host of intangibles that can matter most to a successful NFL career.

Benton runs an outside zone offensive line, a strategy that the Rams have run in the past with success. But do the Rams want to return to that offense? Perhaps the better question is, do the Rams want to commit to that strategy almost exclusively?

Benton has the perspective and the big-picture philosophy that you would expect to find in a seasoned NFL coach, and that is a good box to check off for the Rams as they sought a good addition to the coaching staff.  In terms of experience, calmness, and matter-of-fact approach to the role, I think that Benton checked the boxes.

But the LA Rams have an entirely another set of parameters that are perhaps a bit unique to their club, qualities of which Benton appeared to fall well short. What might those be? Let’s keep investigating:

Things not to like about OL coach John Benton

I typically try to take a positive perspective on any candidate that the Rams consider, but after reading social media takes from Jets fans about John Benton, I had to pause and ponder a bit. What were their biggest objections?

Well, like any fanbase, some objections were cherry-picking tirades about events that were beyond the control of any positional coach. Injuries occurred, and the Jets’ offense was hampered severely by the injury of rookie running back Breece Hall. Those are matters that were beyond Benton’s control. But it ultimately did cost him his job.

Inflexible

One of the areas of greatest concern for the LA Rams is the ability to adapt new strategies based on available players.  That ability to handle whatever competing in the NFL throws at you is a precious and rare characteristic to possess, but it was sorely lacking with the Rams’ last OL coach, Kevin Carberry. With an outbreak of injuries, the team continued to start struggling offensive linemen because, quite simply, it was the safest route.

The Jets found that their offensive line struggled after injuries, and much of the blame was laid at the feet of OL Coach John Benton.  The Jets played several games with two starters out: George Fant and Allija Vera-Tucker.  But it was the absence of Vera-Tucker that seemed to derail the team’s offense.  Could the Jets have found success? While there were many contributing factors, the lack of preparedness on the Jets’ OL that played primarily three backups was deeply disappointing to the fans.

Leadership

Leadership is not lip service, and the LA Rams are vigilant to ensure that their coaching staff attracts and hires stand-up coaches whose leadership is never questioned. Unfortunately, a bad decision by Jets OL Coach John Benton in March 2022 led to questions about his leadership ability. Benton was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) by New Jersey State Police near Morristown, New Jersey.

While we all make mistakes, many of us grow out of those lapses in judgment as we age and mature. Clearly, that is not the case for Benton, who was 58 years of age at the time of his arrest. The LA Rams want to get the best role models for their players. This, while not a deal-breaker, is certainly a bit of tarnish that factored into the final decision.

Developing young talent

The New York Jets invested draft picks into their offensive linemen. In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jets selected offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker with the 14th overall pick. In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jets selected offensive tackle Max Mitchell as the 111th overall pick. That followed the 2020 NFL Draft when the Jets drafted OT Mekhi Becton (11th overall) and Cameron Clark (129th overall).

So how did these young offensive linemen develop over the past two NFL seasons?

Meckhi Becton played a total of 48 offensive snaps for Benton, all in 2021. Cameron Clark has never played an offensive snap. Alijah Vera-Tucker played 1026 offensive snaps for the Jets in 2021 but was limited to 432 offensive snaps in 2022 due to injury. rookie Max Mitchell started for the Jets’ offensive line but struggled a bit before he too fell to injury.

The Jets invested two first-round and two fourth-round picks into their offensive line and have next to nothing to show for it. Yes, they will return and the Jets’ offensive line could be the best in the NFL in 2023. But the problem is that they did not develop and did not stay healthy for Coach Benton, which is nearly identical to the 2022 challenges that the Rams faced on the offensive line.

We’ll investigate who the LA Rams did hire in an upcoming article. But I wanted to walk through what I believe are relevant points as to why the Rams passed on John Benton before doing so.