It's not even minicamp, and Rams have already addressed glaring roster hole

The Los Angeles Rams have been the subject of multiple NFL rumors this offseason, with the largest and most frequently reported tale linking the Rams as a likely landing spot for the soon-to-be-traded Miami Dolphins veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Of course, when the rumors ignited weeks ago, the Rams' 90-man roster limit was still adding players. Today, that ceiling has been reached.

The Rams had recently signed undrafted defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne. But quickly thereafter, the team pivoted to the offensive side of the football, and bolstered the teams depth at offensive tackle.

For many, the question is not why? For many Rams fans, that question is, why so late?

It's a legitimate question, and one that may not come with a simple or easy answer. After all, the root of concern over the Rams offensive line in 2025 began as early as training camp in 2024. It was a year ago that found the Rams attempting to reconfigure the offensive line, moving second-year interior offensive lineman Steve Avila to center while installing former Detroit Lions interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson in at left guard.

That didn't work, but the Rams invested a lot of time throughout training camp and preseason for nothing. By Week 1, the Rams had to face the Detroit Lions on the road without either starting offensive tackle. By mid-game, the team had to replace an injured starting center as well as an injured backup left tackle.

Those painful experiences of having to swap out so many offensive linemen so quickly in the season tend to stick with a front office.

How have the Rams addressed the offensive line so far this offseason?

You might be a bit shocked to learn that, as far as the team's moves this offseason, relatively nothing has been done to reinforce the roster along the offensive line. The team did manage to lock in veteran starting left tackle Alaric Jackson to a multi-year deal. And the team did re-sign former starting center Coleman Shelton to compete for (and likely win) the starting center job for 2025.

The team also extended reserve center Dylan McMahon. But the team traded away IOL Jonah Jackson, while not extending either OT Joe Noteboom or Conor McDermott. That worked out to a net loss of two offensive linemen, and both from the team's offensive tackle position. That was a curious strategy, particularly in light of the Rams opening Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season without either starting offensive tackle.

As much as the focus for fans has been on finding a successor for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, some astute fans entered the offseason even more alarmed over the lack of a succession plan for veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein. While the team has secured Stafford's backup with veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo, the team has not made similar efforts to acquire a logical backup to Havenstein. And the truth is, Havenstein's durability in the past two seasons has posed significant problems for the team.

Havenstein suited up for 14 games in 2023. He was only able to suit up for 11 games in 2024.