Rams offensive line must rally around this player in 2024

All for one and one for all. That is a phrase most often associated with The Three Musketeers, a novel written by Alexandre Dumas père, published in French as Les Trois Mousquetaires in 1844. But that same phrase most certainly applies to the LA Rams offensive line, a unit that performed well last season.

The same unit that has been tinkered with a bit for the 2024 NFL season. Will this new iteration perform better than last season? The Rams front office and coaching staff certainly hope so. After all, the team did extend left tackle Alaric Jackson for one season, right guard Kevin Dotson for three seasons, and invest in bringing in a top-tier left guard named Jonah Jackson for three seasons.

But that has forced the team to move former rookie left guard Steve Avila to a starting offensive center role after just one season in the NFL. That resets the timetable and learning curve for Avila, due to his move to a new position on the offensive line. And that could introduce some new challenges for the young starter.

"All for one and one for all"

Thankfully, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue has taken the time to share an extensive quote from Rams offensive line leader Rob Havenstein, specifically about the transition that Avila is making to fulfill the responsibilities of his new position. It is reassuring to read that the offensive line, and that Havenstein specifically, is already aware that this will be on the whole team.

Well, why not just share and let you read for yourself:

While the team returns four starters from last season, only three offensive linemen return to the same position. Steve Avilla is taking over at center, a new role for him. And former Detroit Lions' left guard Jonah Jackson is joining the team.

The nice part of all of the changes is that everyone knows where they will be playing, and there will be limited mixing and matching throughout training camp to determine who is best suited for starting roles and at which position.

I like the changes. I believe that after settling in, Avila will become a top-tier offensive center for this team. But he won't do it alone, nor should he be expected to. After all, offensive lines in the NFL are graded as a group. The team needs a strong offensive line to have any hope of success in 2024. To do that, the Rams' offensive line must rally around new center Steve Avila in 2024.

Thankfully,m it appears that they are already prepared to do so.

As always, thanks for reading.