PFF misses the goalposts badly in 2024 projections for Rams positional group

III: Buday fails to gauge 2023 missed games

The challenge with casual surveys of NFL positional groups is that the devil is in the details. Unfortunately, those details are glossed over with little regard for the upcoming season. What I mean in regards to the LA Rams offensive line is that this is not simply look at the grades of five individual projected starters for 2024 and find the answer. Here's what I mean:

The eventual Rams starting five offensive linemen played together in just nine games in 2023. Kevin Dotson did not start until Week 4. Rob Havenstein and Alaric Jackson missed some starts due to injuries. You could make a much more compelling argument that the Rams 2024 season will be a much better outcome. And yet? Those details were lost to Buday.

II: Rams offensive line in 2024 is better aligned with blocking strategy

The other detail that Zoltan Buday missed is the simple fact that this is the second season for OL Coach Ryan Wendall. As such, the Rams roster is much better aligned with the blocking schemes in place for 2024. That's not so much hypothetical conjecture as it is simple logic.

In 2023, the Rams drafted IOL Steve Avila, who was the only rookie change to the offensive line starting lineup last year. Veteran IOL Kevin Dotson was added via trade late in the summer. The rest of the OL changes were veterans promoted to starting roles. But in 2024, the Rams have made more sweeping changes. Dotson returns at RG. Alaric Jackson returns at LT. Rob Havenstein returns to RT. But Avila shifts to the center position to make room for Jonah Jackson at LG. In two seasons, the only Rams offensive lineman to start beyond the past two years is RT Rob Havenstein.