The Los Angeles Rams offensive line was the subject of a lot of criticism in 2019 as the offense couldn’t get things rolling for most of the season and many believed the inexperienced offensive line had much to do with that.
While the offensive line did have a number of young players, there was also some inconsistency due to injuries. The Rams had to shuffle their lineman many times across the season, starting eight different players on the line.
In 2020, the Rams are hoping to turn it around and create some consistency, mainly by re-signing both Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe.
For now-second-year offensive lineman Bobby Evans, that was great news, via Sarina Morales of TheRams.com:
“It’s great knowing Whit and Blythe are back because they help bring the younger guys up by being outstanding leaders and mentors for us.”
Blythe and Whitworth, in addition to Rob Havenstein, were really the only true veterans of the offensive line in 2019. Havenstein ended up missing seven games due to injury, helping to add to the Rams’ inconsistency. Evans filled in for Havenstein in the starting lineup while the veteran was injured, giving him some much-needed experience at the pro level.
The Rams will be bringing back their entire offensive line in 2020, so hopefully they will be able to turn things around from last year.
Re-signing Whitworth is likely going to be the Rams’ most important move of the offseason. Of course, Whitworth stated from early on in the offseason that he hoped to rejoin the Rams. He will once again be the leader that the young offensive line desperately needs.
The Rams will still have time to fill in other holes on the roster. The NFL Draft is coming up and is likely to go on as planned, despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Rams will likely focus on defense, as they lost numerous defenders to free agency.