Plenty of positives to share for the LA Rams offensive line heading into Week 1

Rams sign familiar OT to practice squad

The LA Rams had indicated that they would need to address the depth of the offensive line to start the 2024 NFL season, and they did. After all, free agent offensive tackle Conor McDermott has been assigned to IR. Rookie offensive tackle KT Leveston has been assigned to IR/Designated to return. And starting left tackle Alaric Jackson has not only been fighting through injury as well, but he has been suspended for the first two games of the season.

And even starting right tackle Rob Havenstein, the leader of the unit, is questionable to start in the season opener.

So the team is wise to add reinforcements. After the backup offensive tackles Joe Noteboom and Warren McClendon, the only remaining healthy offensive tackle for Week 1 is AJ Arcuri, practice squad offensive tackle out of Michigan State.

He will be joined by rookie offensive tackle Blake Larson, who had a respectable preseason with the team but was released by the team on August 25, 2024. One week later, he was signed to the team's practice squad:

Blake Larson is an undrafted free agent signing in 2024 out of Augustana. A huge offensive tackle, Larson stands 6-foot-7, tips the scales at 306 pounds, and has an incredible 84-inch wingspan. Augustana University is nestled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and does not get much attention from NFL scouts in terms of rookie prospects.

While we are not flooded with college details about Blake Larson, we can state that despite his small college background, Larson has held up well in his rookie preseason. In fact, he played 68 offensive snaps, did not allow any quarterback sacks, and committed just one penalty. Of course, that does not say that he is ready to start just yet, but it's a very promising debut for a team that has been ravaged by injuries and bad luck at offensive tackle so far.

The Rams offensive line may not be 100 percent healthy. But this is still a strong and deep group that will be very competitive throughout the 2024 NFL season.

As always, thanks for reading.