As minicamp nears, Rams hold more questions than answers over OL status

Question 3 - Why did Rams sign offensive tackles David Quessenberry and DJ Humphries?

The Rams' front office made some mistakes in the past. But rather than try to gloss over them, the team tries very hard to learn from past miscues. One such gaffe was last year's pivot from veteran center Coleman Shelton to free agent left guard Jonah Jackson. Jackson was injured and never truly fit into the Rams' scheme. LG Steve Avila was cross-trained to center, never quite fit there, returned to left guard, and was injured. He struggled a bit more than expected last season.

And the team was forced to start rookie Beaux Limmer at center as a result of a series of mishaps that began by trying to upgrade the offensive line with two veteran left guards. So why didn't the Rams sign David Quessenberry or DJ Humphries sooner?

The Rams learned that the unpredictability of the NFL draft and even OTAs demands patience. While the Rams understood that the depth chart would suffer temporarily from Rob Havenstein's absence, the team awaited the initial results of how prepared younger players might be to step up this season. The unexpected medical setback with Alaric Jackson complicated the situation even further.

The Rams signed veteran David Quessenberry to add a veteran presence at right tackle for the team. And signed DJ Humphries out of necessity to ensure that the team had a solid starter at left tackle in place for Week 1. As of right now, the team expects Rob Havenstein to be a full go in training camp, preseason, and the regular season. There are no certainties where Alaric Jackson is concerned.

So the team waited until the dust settled, then acted to add the right player to the anticipated roster need of the team. Lesson learned.