The Los Angeles Rams had some notable voids to fill along the offensive line the offseason. Surprisingly enough, they opted not to use any of their picks to bring some in during the 2021 NFL Draft.
This has led to plenty of speculation regarding who will take Austin Blythe’s spot as the new anchor in the middle following his departure in free agency. Early looks at OTA’s have now given fans an idea of their new look up front.
Photos from camp show Austin Corbett at center and Bobby Evans at right guard for first-team offense, via Cameron DaSilva of USA Today:
I spy Austin Corbett at center and Bobby Evans at RG with the 1st-team OL (photo via Rams) pic.twitter.com/QuHiJdbkP4
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) May 18, 2021
The picture also features David Edwards at left guard and Andrew Whitworth at left tackle. It is safe to assume that Rob Havenstein was at right tackle to round out the first projected starting offensive line.
The move to not draft any offensive lineman is indicative of head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead’s confidence in the personnel already at their disposal. It appears they already have some solid contingency plans in Corbett and Evans thanks to their versatility.
“There’s absolutely candidates in our building right now,” McVay said. “(OL) Brian Allen is a guy that started at the center position. (OL) Coleman Shelton and then we’ve got starter caliber guards. Guys that have started at guard that absolutely have the position flex. So, one of the things that we’ve tried to do over the last couple of years is really have some position flex, especially with those interior players. But, definitely have more than enough guys in house and it’s that’s something that we feel really confident about.”
The Rams still have Allen set to compete after suffering a knee injury during the 2019 campaign. Coleman Shelton is also slated to receive some reps as well with training camp around the corner.
Although Corbett has not established himself as a mainstay at center to start his career, it appears he will have the edge going into camp. After all, Allen struggled in the middle prior to his injury and Shelton still lacks the starting experience necessary to take on such an important task.
The Rams made headlines with their blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason in an effort to revamp the offense. However, it will not mean much if they are unable to give the gunslinger the protection needed to turn things around.
