LA Rams prove once again to have an eye for an excellent bargain

The LA Rams were very active this offseason when it came to the roster moves for their offensive line. The team extending starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, starting right guard Kevin Dotson, signed free agent veteran left guard Jonah Jackson to start, and moved rookie left guard Steve Avila to center. The only offensive lineman who remains steady-as-she-goes is veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein.

But there is even more to smile about over this team's fiscal endeavors. You see, not only did the team make solid and defendable moves to upgrade this roster, but did not break the bank to do so. Rather, this was as much about a budgetary victory as it was about upgrading the performance on the football field.

Let's illustrate that with a few facts. We will use salary cap data from Spotrac.com while tapping statistical information from Pro Football Focus.com. In short, how well did the team restock the offensive line in 2024? Here is a data table with key data points to aid in this discussion.

Name	24 Cap hit	23 snaps	23 penalties	23 sacks allowed	23 PFF seaon Grade	23 PFF playoff grade
Alaric Jackson	$4.89 million	968	3	1	66.2	65.7
Jonah Jackson	$13.67 million	798	5	2	59.7	68.3
Steve Avila	$2.1 million	1147	2	2	61.1	54.4
Kevin Dotson	$12.67 million	881	2	4	85.2	64.6
Rob Havenstein	$14.7 milion	856	3	2	81.8	52.4

Okay. So what? Well, the usefulness of a data table that simply features the Rams projected starting five starting offensive linemen is rather limited. There is neither a trend or a comparison that is necessary to extract a more realistic assessment of how that team is doing. So let's try this a different way.

We know that the LA Rams inked three new deals over the offseason. They were:

LT Alaric Jackson - 1 year, $4.89 million
LG Jonah Jackson - 3 years, $51 million
RG Kevin Dotson - 3 years, $48 million

Okay, now we have some more data. But what can we decipher from that? Still not a lot of comparative value. But don't bail on me just yet. The Rams were shrewd with inking offensive linemen to their deals when they did. You see, the lid just blew off the cost of quality offensive linemen.

Just check out the information shared by Rams reporter J.B. Long below:

Based on recent deals -- most recently Quinn Meinerz in DEN -- seems the Rams have reason to feel good about being ahead of the acceleration in the guard market, investing in Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson early this offseason (after hitting on Steve Avila in the 2023 draft). https://t.co/crlDibveKP
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) July 19, 2024

The Denver Broncos just signed guard Quinn Meinerz to a four-year deal worth $80 million. But he is not the only offensive lineman to enjoy a lucrative contract this offseason. Let's break down some of the contracts handed out this year for offensive linemen:

LT Tyron Smith - 1-year, $6.5 million
RG Robert Hunt - 5 years, $100 million
LG Damien Lewis - 4 years, $53 million

In the end, the Rams signed elite offensive linemen for below market cost.

I don't know that that team went about low-balling their players. Rather, the team is rather effective at establishing a monetary value for a player, making the offer, and then letting the player and agent either accept the deal, or peddle his wares for a more lucrative offer elsewhere. In the case of both Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson, they liked the team's no-nonsense approach.

Of course, the team will be focused on finances at the end of 2024. Alaric Jackson's contract will expire once more, and a starting left tackle can be rather pricey in the current free agent market. But a penny saved is a penny earned, and the team's savvy fiscal successes in 2024 will set the stage for similar successes next year.

And as always, thank you for reading.

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