It's not even training camp, but Rams big-bodied OL has chips on its shoulders

Left guard

The Rams got a full season out of rookie left guard Steve Avila. But due to experimenting with Avila at the center position, the team suited up four different players at the left guard position, including Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson, Logan Bruss, and Justin Dedich. That's not exactly a formula for success. But the Rams have since released Logan Bruss and traded away Jonah Jackson. That simplifies everything and may end up being a huge step in the right direction.

There is no doubt among Rams coaches and fans that Steve Avila is an NFL-caliber left guard. He not only proved his value with a solid rookie season as an effective left guard, but he did so much more. He was the type of offensive lineman who proved to be ready to help out a teammate at the first sign of trouble. Time and again, Avila was able to block to one side, peel off, and then block on the other side. He was the perfect teammate, willing to ensure that his teammates succeeded.

He struggled last season, not because he regressed, but because he was mixed in the role he was tasked with throughout the offseason. And after the team finally relented and allowed him to return to his left guard role, he fell to injury in Week 1. That triggered a turnstile at the position that did not end until Avila returned to start in Week 10.

The team did get better than expected offensive snaps from backup undrafted guard Justin Dedich in Weeks 7 through 9. It's that streak of starts that likely sets up Dedich to backup Avila at left guard this season.

Avila is not cross-training for another position this season. So the hope is that he will remain and focused enough to take his game to an elite level.

Center

Like many offensive line positions last season, the Rams had to shift veteran Jonah Jackson to left guard when Steve Avila was injured in Week 1. That forced the team to promote rookie center Beaux Limmer to a starting role last season. Despite the team restoring Jonah Jackson to center after he returned to health, Limmer proved to be the best option in 2024.

But the team deepened the depth chart by claiming backup center Dylan McMahon off the Philadelphia Eagles' waiver wire. And this season, the team re-signed former starting center Coleman Shelton to reclaim his starting center role on the offensive line.

As such, this team is suddenly swimming with depth at the center position, just one year after scrambling to restore the roster to a satisfactory depth. How can I say that? The Rams currently boast Coleman Shelton, Beaux Limmer, and Dylan McMahon at the position. In a pinch, the team could earmark undrafted rookie Willie Lampkin to play center. Even second-year veteran Justin Dedich has experience playing center.

Coleman Shelton may not be a racecar, nor is he as flashy as a Hummer. He is that old, reliable pickup truck that has a perpetual coat of mud, but always starts right up, gets you where you need to go and back again, and seldom breaks down.

Would the Rams have played in and won Super Bowl LIX if Coleman Shelton was the team's starting center? The team seems to think so. We'll find out if they are correct this season.