The Los Angeles Rams did something that is very rare in the NFL in 2018, and that is start the same five offensive linemen in all 19 of their games including the playoffs.
That group will not remain intact in 2019 though as center John Sullivan and left guard Rodger Saffold are no longer with the organization and will need to be replaced.
The expected replacement for Saffold is Joseph Noteboom, who the Rams drafted in the third round out of TCU in 2018. Noteboom was drafted as a tackle, but Rams offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is confident that he can make the move to guard, via Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
“That’s what these guys want coming out of college — just put me on the field. I don’t care what position, I’ll go play,” Kromer said. “And Joe showed that ability that we feel like he can go in at left guard and hold his own.”
Noteboom did not get much playing time in 2018, but what he did get was the opportunity to learn from veterans like Saffold, Sullivan and Andrew Whitworth. He believes that helped prepare him for a starting role this season:
“That’s been one of the best things about being here so far, is just kind of having those veterans to just guide me along the way, having the redshirt year to watch those guys and see how they do things on and off the field,” Noteboom said. “Getting to sit behind those guys, getting to watch for an extra year, letting me sit back and kind of observe how they do things, I kind of modeled my game after that and got a bunch of practice reps for Whitworth and Saffold.”
In addition to learning from the veterans, Noteboom also got the chance to practice at all four offensive line positions except center in case someone got hurt and he was needed as a replacement. That versatility will be huge for the Rams moving forward.
