the 2023 OL thread (w/ definitive article posted on 5/30)

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Appreciated Rams OT Rob Havenstein's perspective last week on changes to the roster and the offensive line room as a whole as they navigate the offseason program with new and returning faces, and competition: https://t.co/NJaFO2rNCH

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) May 9, 2023

[zn]

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue

Tell you what, nothing makes you feel like spring football is back like walking up to the Rams facility and the o-linemen are all on assault air bikes outside crushing reps to death metal.

[zn]

Logan Bruss is still working his way back from a torn ACL but Sean McVay likes the way he’s progressed https://t.co/qqCUkyihy6

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) May 25, 2023

…

from https://www.nfl.com/prospects/logan-bruss/32004252-5581-3072-7020-8fc2225cd6fb

COLLEGE
Wisconsin
HEIGHT
6’ 5’’
WEIGHT
309 lbs
ARM
33 1/8’’
HAND
10 3/4’’

Player Bio

Bruss was a finalist for the 2016 Joe Thomas Award, given to the top high school offensive lineman in Wisconsin. He started six games (three at right tackle, three as a blocking tight end) as a redshirt freshman in 2018. Bruss switched positions during 2019 (12 starts at right tackle, one at right guard) and in 2020 (one at right tackle, five at right guard), when he was named third-team All-Big Ten. He was a second-team all-league selection in 2021, starting nine games at right tackle. Bruss missed three games due to neck and shoulder injuries during the season and opted out the team’s bowl game to get healthy for the NFL draft. — by Chad Reuter

Analysis

Overview

Guard prospect with tackle flexibility who appears to be well-equipped for the NFL game. Bruss is well-proportioned with athletic feet and good core strength. He takes efficient angles to the block in Wisconsin’s zone-heavy running scheme but has the body control, leverage and play strength to operate in any running scheme. Leaning and oversetting are occasional problems, and he needs to improve his hand work in order to keep from getting behind in the early stages of pass protection. Bruss is well-rounded with an athletic profile and should become a good starter early in his career.

Strengths

Three-year starter with enormous hands.
Bent knees and ready hands in his pass sets.
Works at staying square in his slides for as long as possible.
Recognizes quarterback’s drop point and sets depth accordingly.
Athletic in adjusting slide to match the pace of the rusher.
Uses redirect power and sliding feet to protect his edges.
Fits run blocks with good momentum from settle steps.
Centers up contact with a wide strike zone and good lift.
Unencumbered for work-up blocks and stretch plays.
Above-average finding his landmarks as zone blocker.

Weaknesses

Ends up second in race to land punch first.
Needs to play with less predictable, more explosive hands.
Too much weight drifts to his outside foot in his sets.
Can be a little lazy with his outside hand in pass pro.
Could use better attention to hand placement for block security.
Needs to keep weight under his pads throughout the sustain phase.
Had trouble playing too far out on his toes versus Penn State.

[zn]

zn wrote:

Logan Bruss

Weaknesses

Ends up second in race to land punch first. Needs to play with less predictable, more explosive hands. Too much weight drifts to his outside foot in his sets. Can be a little lazy with his outside hand in pass pro. Could use better attention to hand placement for block security. Needs to keep weight under his pads throughout the sustain phase. Had trouble playing too far out on his toes versus Penn State.

I know Bruss wasn’t ready in 2022 but then, a lot of Rams weren’t ready early in 2022. I considered it a team problem.

Looking at his weakness–leaning, oversetting, predictable hands, lazy outside hand sometimes, hand placement issues, has to keep weight under his pads–is all coachable stuff.

Strengths? It’s all innate stuff. Aware, athletic w/ good feet, good slider, can redirect, good core strength,  body control, leverage.

It just looks to me like the Rams are adjusting the OL to be more like the great one Brees had with the Saints in their best years–top strong guards who keep the pocket clean for the qb to step up.

[zn]

Rams OL working through new combinations in OTAs, hoping to leave 2022 behindone.”

Jourdan Rodrigue

* https://theathletic.com/4556596/2023/05/30/rams-offensive-line-injuries-recovery/?source=emp_shared_article

Whatever could go wrong, did go wrong. A wave of injuries crushed their starters, most backups, and even some third- and fourth-string players in rapid succession. They featured 12 different starting combinations in their first 13 games and were starting from scratch their teaching of a complex language in that position group every week — with players at most positions who had not even been with the team in training camp. According to Football Outsiders, the Rams had 71 “adjusted games lost” to injury along the offensive line alone, the most since the statistic was developed in 2001 (the next closest were the 2020 Eagles, with 57.1 AGL).

Quarterback Matthew Stafford took 63 hits in nine games, the most a quarterback has been hit on a Sean McVay-led team, before also suffering a season-ending spinal cord contusion. For fans, the historically awful offensive line angst throughout 2022 even came with a little gut kick at the very end of the year: A player they definitely could have selected the in 2021 NFL Draft, center Creed Humphrey, anchored the Chiefs in the Super Bowl as one of the NFL’s best players at his position.

Everyone is trying to move on.

“No two teams are the same, and what happened last year stays in last year,” right tackle Rob Havenstein said earlier this month. “I’m not gonna harp on that too much. Whatever happened, happened. Can’t change it. Don’t want to change it, it is what it is.”

Yet a team can’t just visualize a reset, and hope it happens on the field. That team has to physically make it happen.

McVay fired previous offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and hired former player and Aaron Kromer disciple Ryan Wendell to take over the group, with Kromer’s son, Zak, assisting him. Former longtime left tackle and captain Andrew Whitworth has been a consistent presence in the building this spring, though no formal coaching or consulting role has been announced by the team.

In 2022, the Rams drafted guard Logan Bruss at No. 104, their top pick that year. But Bruss tore his ACL and his MCL that preseason, and so his potential is still unknown (although he’s cleared for practice and the Rams are cautiously onboarding him into the mix).

Re-investing in their offensive line was going to take much more than a lone late third-round draft pick, anyway.

This spring, amid a wave of cost-cutting and one-sided roster-rebuild moves, the Rams quietly extended guard/center Coleman Shelton on a two-year deal worth up to $4.75 million, pending incentives. They also reduced center Brian Allen’s contract by about $3 million via a restructure, after he battled injuries through much of 2022.

They drafted TCU starting guard (previously a center) Steve Avila at No. 36 and doubled up with fifth-rounder Warren McClendon, a two-year starter at Georgia.

Similar to 2021, skill-position players tempted some on staff during the draft — the Rams discussed trading up into the first round for five different players, all on offense. A series of first-round maneuvers from other teams excluded the Rams, who ultimately stayed at No. 36. Avila was the Rams’ top prospect when they reset their board after the first round in preparation for Day 2.

Avila is expected to start for the Rams right away, but much of that will be up to him.

As spring workouts unfold, it has become clear that the Rams will rotate many different players along the offensive line between the first, second and third teams. Where last year’s lone position battle was right guard, competition will happen this year at left tackle, left guard, center and right guard.

Possible starting combinations (note, media has only viewed one day of OTAs): From left to right, Alaric Jackson or Joe Noteboom; Avila or Noteboom or Jackson; Shelton or Allen; Tremayne Anchrum or Bruss or Shelton; Havenstein.

It’s interesting that the Rams’ starting group will potentially feature so many players with position flexibility. If 2022 was a worst-case injury scenario, multiple “flex” players could help with any “normal” injury scenarios that arise.

Another notable characteristic of this group is the size of its players (in OTAs especially, it’s OK to drop the often-skewed roster numbers and go with the eye test). Shelton isn’t a giant center, but he’s bigger than Allen. Jackson is a massive presence at either guard or tackle, with long arms. Avila is built like a prototypical body-moving guard, and even Anchrum (who entered the NFL as a tackle/guard combination player) is developing more like a stout guard rather than a tackle, though he can play either position.

Having both Shelton and Allen, who when playing center will do so on separate fields (between first and second/third teams), might be wasteful of a roster spot when the season begins — but for now, it’s useful. Both players are entrenched in the language of the offensive line and help “call” the offense. If a former starter is able to do that for the second and third teams, all of the developing players can better learn on the fly with someone next to them correcting and advising them, versus simply applying what they got in the meeting room to the field.

Noteboom doesn’t appear to be fully participating in OTAs so far, and McVay said they would continue to be cautious with his return from a 2022 Achilles tear. The Athletic previously reported that Noteboom should be cleared for training camp, but that the team will still onboard him slowly.

Jackson, who was cleared earlier this spring from the blood clots that ended his 2022 season, bluntly remarked in January that he wants to pick up where he left off at left tackle. He impressed at left guard last season when former starter David Edwards entered the concussion protocol and then slid over to left tackle as Noteboom’s replacement.

“I love playing left side, honestly,” Jackson said. “Tackle is my thing, for the most part. I understand that they paid Joe, so I get that whole part. But whatever I can do for the team, I’ll do for the team.”

Stafford seemed to appreciate that tenacity from Jackson during the first week of OTAs.

“Yeah, I think he’s a competitive guy. I think it comes out in his attitude probably when you guys talk to him, but also when he plays,” Stafford said. “Typical nasty offensive lineman and it’s fun to be around. He’s definitely a competitive guy that wants to get out there and play physical. It’s up to all those guys to go earn their spots like it is everybody on our team. As much competition as we can possibly have at all the positions is a good thing for us.”

Player to watch: McClendon — he didn’t allow a single sack in his final two seasons at Georgia. He also has become fast friends with Avila, which is important for the long-term future of the position group if the two players can set an early foundation.

“I feel like we just have similar personalities,” said Avila, who initially met McClendon at the Senior Bowl. “Usually there are some guys who are stuck up, in a way. I mean, he went to Georgia (laughs). … But he’s not like that. I’m glad that I have a teammate like that. He’s a cool guy (and) we’re going through this together!”

Between the draft and their coaching/consulting reset, the Rams are clearly hoping they have recalibrated the trajectory of an offensive line that in 2022 was swirling the drain.

Will it be enough?

Well, it’s May.

Linemen aren’t run blocking or having to truly protect the quarterback from any type of contact right now. For the Rams, these early days of OTAs are about evaluating different combinations of linemen, to see who sticks where. For many players and even coaches, this time of year is also about learning how to practice in the first place — and about resetting standards with new players and veterans.

This group may already look bigger, and some may be higher-round draft picks than many of the players who came before them. In the very limited time on the field so far, their overall energy is high. But Havenstein, who in this young group is now the grizzled, salty veteran entering his ninth season, knows not to lean too much into hope and projections in May.

“I think everyone came back ready to work,” Havenstein said. “Ready to get after it. … Guys who were here rehabbing, it’s been showing. Guys who went home, it’s been showing too. I’m very pleased with where everyone is now. Now (it’s) building some rapport with everyone.

“Like every NFL year, there are no slated starters anywhere (on the line). … We will find our best five guys to go out there and get it done.”

[zn]

Blaine Grisak @bgrisakTST

Really hoping to see Alaric Jackson as the left tackle on the Rams offensive line this season. In Week 6, 8, and 9, Jackson had the 9th best pass-block grade via PFF among tackles.

[zn]

Come for the Alaric Jackson pass protection.

Stay for the Cooper Kupp touchdown. pic.twitter.com/d5wIeQaKP7

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 2, 2023

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Don't have to worry about Jackson being overpowered. Handles Vita Vea coming around the edge. pic.twitter.com/dt9dQeS6s7

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 2, 2023

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Jackson does a great job of taking his guy wide and forcing them to go the longest route to the QB. Does that to Joe Tryon here. Allows Stafford time for the deep ball. pic.twitter.com/fXof0YgDJq

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 2, 2023

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Alaric Jackson = 🧱🧱🧱

Has his man on 🔒on this play at LT. pic.twitter.com/9sKZAQmsZ7

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 2, 2023

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Jackson remains extremely solid in pass pro. This is a longer developing route. Gives Stafford time to find Kupp. Exactly what you want from your LT. pic.twitter.com/pgd7oNd5he

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 2, 2023

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Mike LaFleur revealed that the Rams don’t have a set starting OL unit yet and that the ‘best five are going to play’ in 2023. https://t.co/hLIzBYbwMn

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) June 2, 2023

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the various oline combos the rams fielded last year, by game, red text = guys who are now gone. pic.twitter.com/9ZuzzRZFGk

— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) June 3, 2023

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Brian Allen was ranked as the 12th-best center in the NFL, which is a bit higher than expected https://t.co/Xm8y7yCnbk

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) June 6, 2023

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PFF still ranks Rams offensive line among worst groups heading into 2023 season. https://t.co/7Te1QuIO1p

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) June 13, 2023

[zn]

I’ll have more on this in my write-up but without RT Rob Havenstein out here (vet rest) the Rams have tried a few guys there including Logan Bruss. Sean McVay noted he’s looking forward to watching Bruss’ tape from today and thought he did a good job. Lots of guys moving around.

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) June 14, 2023

[zn]

Rodrigue…from the 6/23 post in this thread: OTAs … w/ a good re-cap article (posted 6/23)

Ranking my favorite offensive line combinations, from the left side to the right:

• Alaric Jackson, Tremayne Anchrum Jr., Coleman Shelton, Steve Avila, Rob Havenstein

• Jackson, Anchrum, Brian Allen, Avila, Havenstein

• Jackson, Avila, Shelton, Logan Bruss, Havenstein

• Joe Noteboom, Jackson, Shelton, Avila, Havenstein

Bruss also got some reps at right tackle, where he played multiple games in college. Something to watch!

***

The Rams have plenty to sort out before the season begins, including a handful of positions on offense.

My best guess as to who will be part of the starting offense come Week 1 https://t.co/X6XjMSBRVj

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) June 22, 2023

Left tackle: Joe Noteboom

The offensive line is where things get really interesting, beginning with left tackle. Noteboom will need to not only stay healthy this year, but he’ll have to hold off Alaric Jackson for the starting job, regardless of his larger salary. Sean McVay has said every spot on this team will be earned so Noteboom won’t be handed the starting spot just because he has a sizable contract. Still, I think he’ll win the battle in camp.

Left guard: Steve Avila

Avila has already been working with the first-team offense so the Rams are trying to get him integrated rather quickly. He has the ability to play any of the three interior positions, which gives him a good chance to start somewhere in the middle. If Avila plays well enough in training camp and the preseason, he should be able to hold off either Noteboom or Jackson, as well as Coleman Shelton, Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and the other guards competing for playing time.

Center: Coleman Shelton

The Rams are by no means committed to Brian Allen as their starting center. In fact, they might be leaning more toward Shelton at this point. They’ve rotated their centers throughout the offseason, giving Shelton first-team reps in place of Allen. Shelton is a bigger blocker, which helps in the run game, and that has been evidenced when he’s filled in for Allen in the past. This is one of the most intriguing position battles of the year for L.A.

Right guard: Logan Bruss

Bruss missed his entire rookie year and the Rams are probably itching to get a look at their top pick from the 2022 draft. He’ll have to earn his starting spot, beating out the likes of Anchrum, Jackson and others, but I think he’ll get the job done and show the Rams what they liked so much about him in the draft last year.

Right tackle: Rob Havenstein

The only position on the offensive line that’s not up for grabs is right tackle. Havenstein is going to be the starter there, as he has been for years, and there’s absolutely no reason to think any of the Rams’ other linemen will beat him out or even get a chance to compete for his job.

[zn]

McV’s 2 worst seasons–2019 and 2022–have this in common. Both years were marred by extensive OL injuries. It got settled down in 2019 toward the end because youngsters like Edwards came through in the last stretch. In 2022 the young replacements got injured too (!  ).

Overall in all the other years, when the OL was relatively healthy (only 1 or 2 replacements during the season and never multiple replacements at the same time)…we know they were always contenders. Every other year except those 2 the OL was solid.

There are promising guys on the OL roster. Beyond Avila and Hav, we know about Jackson and Shelton. Anchrum has always gotten good buzz and impresses people. I don’t know about Noteboom or Allen. Bruss is an unknown at this point but he seems to be tending positive.

[wv]

zn wrote:

McV’s 2 worst seasons–2019 and 2022–have this in common. Both years were marred by extensive OL injuries. It got settled down in 2019 toward the end because youngsters like Edwards came through in the last stretch. In 2022 the young replacements got injured too (! ). Overall in all the other years, when the OL was relatively healthy (only 1 or 2 replacements during the season and never multiple replacements at the same time)…we know they were always contenders. Every other year except those 2 the OL was solid. There are promising guys on the OL roster. Beyond Avila and Hav, we know about Jackson and Shelton. Anchrum has always gotten good buzz and impresses people. I don’t know about Noteboom or Allen. Bruss is an unknown at this point but he seems to be tending positive.

 

I’d probly put it more or less, like this:  The OLine health determines if the Rams will be above or below .500.   If its solid, they can finish in that 9-7 zone.   If its a mess, they can sink all the way to 4 wins or so.    I think we all agree on this.

Now, if they wanna be above that 9-7 wild-card-zone.  Then they need more than just the OLine to be solid.   They need speed, and weaponry, and Stafford to be healthy, and the defense to stop the run, etc, etc.

It dont look to ‘me’ like they have the players to move into the 11 or 12 win zone.   But IF the Oline stays solid then 9-7 is reachable.

But I dunno.

If Puka turns out to be a real NFL weapon, it could make a difference in a game or two.

 

w

v

 

[zn]

wv wrote:

they can finish in that 9-7 zone.

It’s hard to adjust to the 17 game schedule, ain’t it. (Friendly tease, not a taunt.)

One thing I notice about the McV Rams. Look at all the players who made some noise and did some things with the Rams, eventually became FAs who walked and…then did nothing.

I just think they might be a bit bigger than the sum of their parts.

Who did the Rams have on offense when they had their best seasons? Gurley–till the knee. Woods, who then didn’t do anything after leaving. Kupp. The McV Rams were never as loaded as the Bruce, Holt, Faulk Rams.

But still they are 46/18 in years with a relatively healthy OL, and that includes 2 super bowl appearances. In the other  2 years they are 14/19. Now of course that’s not some kind of written in stone, sure-thing formula because there are variables such as having Whitworth before and finding a new LOT now.

Anyway. One of the things they’re doing with the OL in 23 is bulking up the interior, not only to give the running game more juice, but to give Stafford a pocket to step up in. I think if relatively healthy the Rams are about a 10 win team, maybe more.

[wv]

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

they can finish in that 9-7 zone.

It’s hard to adjust to the 17 game schedule, ain’t it. (Friendly tease, not a taunt.) One thing I notice about the McV Rams. Look at all the players who made some noise and did some things with the Rams, eventually became FAs who walked and…then did nothing. I just think they might be a bit bigger than the sum of their parts. Who did the Rams have on offense when they had their best seasons? Gurley–till the knee. Woods, who then didn’t do anything after leaving. Kupp. The McV Rams were never as loaded as the Bruce, Holt, Faulk Rams. But still they are 46/18 in years with a relatively healthy OL, and that includes 2 super bowl appearances. In the other 2 years they are 14/19. Now of course that’s not some kind of written in stone, sure-thing formula because there are variables such as having Whitworth before and finding a new LOT now. Anyway. One of the things they’re doing with the OL in 23 is bulking up the interior, not only to give the running game more juice, but to give Stafford a pocket to step up in. I think if relatively healthy the Rams are about a 10 win team, maybe more.

==

Question — When’s the last time the Rams used their first pick for an

Interior Offensive Lineman?

 

I cant remember that ever happening.

 

w

v

[zn]

wv wrote:

== Question — When’s the last time the Rams used their first pick for an Interior Offensive Lineman? I cant remember that ever happening. w v

The times Rams have used a first pick for an OL. A couple of times are surprises because their first pick was a low one. They have a lot of first round “first picks” but most of them are either busts or disappointments or underperformers, which is why they’re forgettable. I will red-bold all the busts and forgettables and underperformers. I only went back to 66 (Tom Mack).

2023: Avila, round 2

2022: Bruss, round 3

2018: Noteboom, round 3

2014: Robinson, round 1

2009: Smith, round 1

2005: Barron, round 1

1997: Pace, round 1

1994: Gandy, round 1

1990: Brostek, round 1

1986: Schad, round 1

1966: Mack, round 1

Here’s a time defying Rams “all bad picks” OL:

Barron Robinson Brostek Schad Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wv]

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

== Question — When’s the last time the Rams used their first pick for an Interior Offensive Lineman? I cant remember that ever happening. w v

The times Rams have used a first pick for an OL. A couple of times are surprises because their first pick was a low one. They have a lot of first round “first picks” but most of them are either busts or disappointments or underperformers, which is why they’re forgettable. I will red-bold all the busts and forgettables and underperformers. I only went back to 66 (Tom Mack). 2023: Avila, round 2 2022: Bruss, round 3 2018: Noteboom, round 3 2014: Robinson, round 1 2009: Smith, round 1 2005: Barron, round 1 1997: Pace, round 1 1994: Gandy, round 1 1990: Brostek, round 1 1986: Schad, round 1 1966: Mack, round 1 Here’s a time defying Rams “all bad picks” OL: Barron Robinson Brostek Schad Smith

==

Ha.  Well, Im an idiot.  The last time the Rams used their top pick for an Interior Olineman was — last year.    Bruss.

 

Ok, well, they are stocking up, arent they.

 

w

v

[zn]

wv wrote:

The last time the Rams used their top pick for an Interior Olineman was — last year. Bruss. Ok, well, they are stocking up, arent they. w v

You’ve gotten me thinking aloud about a lot of things related to the OL.

One thing I did point out above about all that is that a couple of times, the McV/Snead Rams had first picks in the 3rd round, and it’s kind of counter-intuitive to assume first picks are in round 3. So we don’t quite register Noteboom and Bruss as “first picks.”

We usually think of first picks as 2nd or 1st rounders, and on that the Rams have actually been historically a disaster–bad 1st round OL picks far outnumber good ones. Since 66 (which is as far back as I went this time) the Rams have picked 8 OL in round 1 and only 2 of them really worked out (Mack and Pace). Though to be fair, Barron was just a lazy underachiever and not genuinely “bad,” and Brostek was fairly good but too injured up to be a stable player. Schad, Robinson, and Smith, in contrast, are among the worst picks in all Rams drafting history.

In terms of the recent OL workings, the McV/Snead Rams build the OL the same way the Vermeil Rams did–they aggressively use every single method of player acquisition simultaneously. High-end free agents (Timmerman, Whitworth), bargain free agents and “ronin” ie. other teams’ cuts (McCollum, Shelton), higher draft picks (Pace, Avila), lower draft picks (Miller, Edwards and Anchrum), UDFAs (Nutten, Jackson), and crafty trades (recently Corbett). So the McV/Snead Rams are always stocking up, actually. Then again, we’ve never seen an OL injury epidemic like 2022, though it was close to that bad in  2007 and 2011 and 2012. The silver thread woven into the dark injury hurricane of 2022 was that a whole bunch of OL got a chance to play in 2022, so that the Rams actually have a list of experienced players to build with in 2023. If Jackson works out as predicted, for example, they will have possibly gotten a starting LOT as a UDFA, which is a major find.

[wv]

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

The last time the Rams used their top pick for an Interior Olineman was — last year. Bruss. Ok, well, they are stocking up, arent they. w v

….so that the Rams actually have a list of experienced players to build with in 2023. If Jackson works out as predicted, for example, they will have possibly gotten a starting LOT as a UDFA, which is a major find.

 

Well, if the Rams find a solid starting LOT from the UDFA pile, the scouts deserve a medal.   I mean, thats the kind of find that changes a season.

 

w

v

[JackPMiller]

wv wrote:

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

The last time the Rams used their top pick for an Interior Olineman was — last year. Bruss. Ok, well, they are stocking up, arent they. w v

….so that the Rams actually have a list of experienced players to build with in 2023. If Jackson works out as predicted, for example, they will have possibly gotten a starting LOT as a UDFA, which is a major find.

Well, if the Rams find a solid starting LOT from the UDFA pile, the scouts deserve a medal. I mean, thats the kind of find that changes a season. w v

wv wrote:

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

The last time the Rams used their top pick for an Interior Olineman was — last year. Bruss. Ok, well, they are stocking up, arent they. w v

….so that the Rams actually have a list of experienced players to build with in 2023. If Jackson works out as predicted, for example, they will have possibly gotten a starting LOT as a UDFA, which is a major find.

Well, if the Rams find a solid starting LOT from the UDFA pile, the scouts deserve a medal. I mean, thats the kind of find that changes a season. w v

 

I’m still praying we sign Taylor Lewan who is still a free agent on a vet minimum deal.

 

Then next year, if we pick in the top 5, in the NFL Draft I’m hoping for either

Caleb Williams QB USC

Drake Maye QB UNC

Kool-Aid McKinsley CB Alabama.

 

Also, based on what I see, if everything holds, based on talent, the 2024 NFL Draft could be the best DB draft, in history. That’s Cornerback and Safety.

 

 

[zn]

JackPMiller wrote:

Then next year, if we pick in the top 5,

I seriously doubt that happens.

[zn]

Coleman Shelton got a 2-year extension from the Rams this year and could end up being their starting center https://t.co/sgc4KqOTBN

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) July 3, 2023

[zn]

Logan Bruss missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, but he could be a major factor up front in 2023 https://t.co/ccHR6CJvB4

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) July 6, 2023

[zn]

Alaric Jackson vs Brian burns 🤌 pic.twitter.com/RaKWiKbt6D

— HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) July 8, 2023

[zn]

Alaric Jackson is competing for snaps at left tackle and guard, potentially starting at one of the two positions https://t.co/WLLQmjPZb5

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) July 9, 2023

[zn]

Offseason position reset: Offensive line

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/offseason-position-reset-offensive-line-x5608

With the offseason program wrapped and training camp coming up in late July, theRams.com will be taking an updated look at positions on the team’s roster.

Up next: Offensive line.

Key offseason moves

Selected Steve Avila in the second round of this year’s draft. With a background in playing center and both guard spots, Avila brings valuable position flexibility to the offensive line.
Re-signed Coleman Shelton to a two-year contract. Shelton’s versatility being able to play guard or center has made him a critical piece to Los Angeles’ offensive line rotation over the last two seasons.

Who’s under contract

70 – OT Joe Noteboom
Height: 6-5
Weight: 321 lbs
College: TCU
2022 stats: Started first six games of the season before sustaining season-ending Achilles injury in Week 6 against the Panthers.

77 – OT Alaric Jackson
Height: 6-7
Weight: 285 lbs
College: Iowa
2022 stats: Started in six of eight games played before being shut down the remainder of the season due to blood clots.

79 – OT Rob Havenstein
Height: 6-8
Weight: 330 lbs
College: Wisconsin
2022 stats: Started all 17 regular season games.

61 – OT AJ Arcuri
Height: 6-7
Weight: 320 lbs
College: Michigan State
2022 stats: Played in eight games, making one start.

71 – OT Warren McClendon Jr.
Height: 6-4
Weight: 300 lbs
College: Georgia
2022 stats: Started at right tackle in all 14 games for back-to-back national champion Georgia.

57 – OT Zachary Thomas
Height: 6-5
Weight: 300 lbs
College: San Diego State
2022 stats: Played in one game after being signed off the Bears’ practice squad in mid-November.

72 – OT Tremayne Anchrum Jr.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 314 lbs
College: Clemson
2022 stats: Played in two games, starting one before sustaining a broken ankle in Week 2 against the Falcons that forced him to miss the rest of the season.

60 – G Logan Bruss
Reserve/Injured
Height: 6-5
Weight: 309 lbs
College: Wisconsin
2022 stats: Did not play in 2022 after tearing his ACL and MCL against the Texans in Week 2 of the preseason.

73 – G Steve Avila
Height: 6-3
Weight: 332 lbs
College: TCU
2022 stats: Started all 15 games at left guard for national runner-up TCU.

55 – OC Brian Allen
Height: 6-2
Weight: 303 lbs
College: Michigan State
2022 stats: Started all seven games he played in; missed five after undergoing a knee procedure following an injury sustained in the season opener, missed another two for a thumb injury sustained in Week 10 against the Cardinals, then missed the final three games because of a calf injury sustained in Week 15 against the Packers.

65 – OG Coleman Shelton
Height: 6-4
Weight: 299 lbs
College: Washington
2022 stats: Started all 13 games played; missed four due to high ankle sprain sustained in Week 4 against the 49ers.

66 – OC Sean Maginn
Height: 6-3
Weight: 298 lbs
College: Wake Forest
2022 stats: Started all 13 games at left guard in his final season at Wake Forest.

68 – OC Mike McAllister
Height: 6-2
Weight: 305 lbs
College: Youngstown State
2022 stats: Started all 11 games at center in his final season at Youngstown State.

63 – OL Grant Miller
Height: 6-3
Weight: 306 lbs
College: Baylor
2022 stats: 12-game starter in his final collegiate season at Baylor.

What’s next

Figuring out the rest of the starting five. Besides veteran Rob Havenstein at right tackle, every position along the offensive line is up for grabs based on the combinations experimented with this spring. Quarterback Matthew Stafford already acknowledged the position battle at center with Shelton and Allen both rotating there throughout OTAs. Another factor in that is also players who are getting healthy after season-ending injuries in 2022 like Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Logan Bruss.

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Rams’ 2023 to be defined by protection of Matthew Stafford, with OL play and more

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/4731651/2023/07/31/rams-offensive-line-protecting-matthew-stafford/?source=emp_shared_article

IRVINE, Calif. — In 2022, Matthew Stafford was hit more times through nine active games than any other quarterback in the Sean McVay era.

Those 63 hits (29 of them sacks), and also the hits to the ground, sent Stafford to the concussion protocol twice and resulted in a bruised spinal cord that ended his season.

“We want to do everything in our power to make sure we’re protecting him,” said McVay, as the Rams reported to training camp last week. “We left him … whether it was play call, scheme, there (are) a lot of different reasons … We want to do a much better job of keeping him upright. There’s a lot of things that go hand in hand with that.”

Protecting Stafford isn’t just non-negotiable in 2023; it’s a make-or-break factor for a season that could either be better than most expect, or a total disaster. Behind the veteran are Brett Rypien and Stetson Bennett, who have rotated as second-string quarterbacks in the first week of camp. The Rams drafted Bennett in the spring to eventually take over the No. 2 role, but there is a long road ahead in his development. And after the Rams’ front office gutted their defense with eyes on the 2024 and 2025 seasons, if the offense can’t score, the season will get very ugly, very quickly.

It starts with the offensive line, of course. The Rams’ position group in 2022 had 71 “adjusted games lost” to injury according to Football Outsiders, the most since the statistic was developed in 2001 (the next closest were the 2020 Eagles, with 57.1 AGL). They started 12 different combinations in their first 13 games.

Re-working this group wasn’t just about getting healthy. McVay fired previous offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, and hired up-and-comer Ryan Wendell, a former longtime Patriots offensive lineman who was most recently the assistant position coach to Aaron Kromer in Buffalo.

Wendell presents as an imposing figure, with a wild mane of a beard/hair combination and the build you’d expect from a former player. But with his players, he is calm, technical and direct.

“Ryan Wendell is a great coach,” said third-year player Alaric Jackson. “He is a great teacher. He’s not like, a ‘rah-rah’ guy or a ‘scream at you’ guy. But he breaks things down for you to understand overall. He makes things really simple, so you really can’t mess it up. If you do, he gives you more tools to fix it. He’s amazing. … He’s very stern with you, (but) not like, aggressive. It’s more like, ‘Come on, I believe in you and I’m gonna push you a little bit, but I got your back as well.’ So it’s not like he’s trying to motherf— you or be too aggressive, but he just wants to teach you the right things.”

Added Wendell, “All I’m looking to try to do is to try to help these guys out. I let them know what I see, I try to give them clear, honest feedback as best I can.”

Wendell, his assistant position coaches Zak Kromer and Nick Jones, McVay and the Rams’ front office wanted to launch into spring OTAs and training camp with competition at nearly every position (right tackle, as eight-year veteran Rob Havenstein joked, may be locked in already).

“Everybody has a lot to work on,” Wendell said. “We don’t slow down. The young guys learn how fast it is, and they catch up. The old guys keep refining their technique.”

Between players getting healthy and additions via the NFL draft, the Rams have that. Rookie Steve Avila and third-year player Tremayne Anchrum, who fractured his fibula in 2022, have led the way at both guard spots in camp but will be pushed to hold those spots when pads finally go on this week. Coleman Shelton and Brian Allen, who both dealt with various injuries in 2022 that forced them to miss time, are competing for the starting center position.

Jackson and veteran lineman Joe Noteboom, who tore his Achilles in 2022, are competing at left tackle.

“It’s never my guaranteed spot,” said Noteboom, who, after surgery by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and rehab over the last year says he is feeling back to full health. “Competition, like Sean (McVay) said, it brings out the best in people. I was never thinking anything was mine, guaranteed. It can be a positive thing, I feel like.”

Noteboom signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension in 2022. This spring, the Rams restructured his deal to free up about $9 million in space. The question looms: Will the Rams start the player they paid, or will Jackson show enough through the rest of training camp to force the coaching staff’s hand? The odd man out would fill a “swing tackle” depth role … not usually an assignment for a well-compensated player, but if Jackson does earn the job the front office would have to swallow a little pride.

Jackson hurt his knee in early November while playing left tackle in replacement of Noteboom, after initially playing left guard in replacement of David Edwards (concussion). But then, Jackson was also diagnosed with blood clots and shut down for the year.

Now, Jackson says he’s only working at his dominant position, tackle, that he’s “healthy as hell” (his words) and has cut his weight down to 330 pounds. The Rams are rotating Jackson and Noteboom pretty evenly in practices so far, but the intensity will increase when the pads go on this week and that could determine future rep allocation.

The coaching staff is also implementing more “game-like” situational work into practices to get linemen on both sides of the ball up to speed.

Future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald was mildly irritated to discover that, unlike past years of training camp, the offensive line is sliding its protections to double- and triple-team him in 11-on-11s as opponents would in games. This serves a dual purpose: A very inexperienced defensive line understands how to play together when more attention is on Donald, and the offensive line gets more realistic reps countering an elite and versatile interior defender.

“I was kind of mad because you want to be able to work different things,” said Donald, drily. “But it’s realistic so I appreciate (them) doing that for me, allowing me to make my job hard at practice and making me study a little longer at night.”

As McVay and others noted, protecting Stafford must go beyond just pass protection from the linemen specifically.

The Rams have to get back to running the ball efficiently and consistently, for example, after finishing the 2022 season ranked No. 19 in rushing DVOA.

“The better you can run the ball, the better you can screen, the better you can do quick game, the better you can play action, the better things can open down the field, the less likely they are to (pass) rush. It all plays into it,” receiver Cooper Kupp said.

The running backs’ abilities in pass protection are an added emphasis for a team with a quarterback who isn’t considered to be mobile, just like it is the responsibility of the receivers to get off the line and create space quickly, to avoid Stafford having to hold the ball longer.

“Our passing game, nothing matters if we can’t protect Matthew,” Wendell said. “It’s our job to keep him upright. But, (we understand) that the protection unit is the entire unit. It’s not just the offensive line. We protect Matthew by workin’ hard on first and second downs so that we can play ahead of the sticks, so that we don’t have long yards so he’s got to hold the ball for a long time. Our receivers protect Matthew by getting open fast and catching the ball, and getting those extra yards. Everybody is a part of that protection unit. Our running backs have been all over it.

“So, when you talk about ‘protecting Matthew,’ you can’t just single out one part of football. We run the ball well, that helps us protect Matthew. All of that stuff goes into it … that’s the big picture. And at the end of it, it’s single guys winning their one-on-one battles. That’s what these guys have to do every day.”

An old “McVay offense” staple — play-action passing — may serve a role in protecting Stafford, too. In McVay’s world, an average to above-average run game is needed to properly deploy play action (truly selling “the threat of the run”).

Still, it’s a concept he intentionally moved away from in 2021 after trading for Stafford.

From 2017 to 2020, the Rams ranked among the top teams in the NFL in play-action usage. But as McVay, Stafford and then-offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell rebuilt the offense in 2021, they preferred more of a pure dropback passing game and to spread the field out wide using empty sets.

In 2022, of Stafford’s 337 total dropbacks in nine games, just 73 pass attempts were out of play-action concepts from either under center or out of shotgun, according to TruMedia. Stafford completed 49 of those (67 percent) for 684 yards and 9.05 yards per attempt, significantly higher than his 6.9 yards per pass attempt average on all pass plays. Stafford had an overall EPA/pass attempt of 0.10, but with play action, he had between a 0.32-0.35 EPA/pass attempt depending on whether it was from under center or out of shotgun.

Some quarterbacks prefer empty sets because it forces a defense to “declare” earlier, or show its intended coverage instead of rotating after the snap, because it is immediately accounting for more known eligible receivers. Rotating coverages are especially insidious for a quarterback who uses a lot of play action under center, meaning his back flips for a brief moment to the defense as its coverage shifts.

If the Rams can run the ball effectively, they’ll see less players who can muddy up coverage looks in the defensive backfield and in turn, Stafford will have more space to manipulate downfield whether he flips his back or not. Play-action concepts, built off a consistent run game, can help Stafford move his pocket in a variety of ways, keep defenders hesitating between pass rushing and run defending just a little longer, and naturally keep a running back in the vicinity to pick up pressure. The Rams aren’t likely to move totally away from empty sets, especially with Stafford at quarterback and because of the mathematical advantages it provides in the pass game, but perhaps in 2023 their play-action frequency will increase for the sake of adding other ways to protect him.

However the Rams do it — between scheme, play calls and the responsibility of every position group on offense — whether they can keep Stafford off his back will define their 2023 season.

“We all know this, it’s no rocket science here. If we give Matthew an extra tick back there, he’s one of the best in the world to do it,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “So the whole focus is just keeping him upright, and if that means putting a few extra guys in protection, or whatever we have to do, we’re going to do it.”

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from * https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-training-camp-takeaways-notes-practice-thursday/

Interior of O-line may be taking shape

According to LAFB, Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Steve Avila “seem to be locking down the guard spots.” That’s hardly surprising, given Avila’s draft pedigree and Anchrum’s strong standing with the coaching staff. Also, Brian Allen got all the first-team reps on Thursday, according to LAFB, but Coleman Shelton has also had practices where he got all the first-team reps.

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