As the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVay has benefitted from some of the best offensive line play in the league. The 2017-2018 Los Angeles Rams offensive line featuring Andrew Whitworth, Rodger Saffold, John Sullivan, Jamon Brown, Austin Blythe, and Rob Havenstein helped the Rams take the league by storm in McVay's beginning years, catapulting them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018. In 2021, the play of Whitworth, David Edwards, Brian Allen, Austin Corbett, and Havenstein helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.
Now the Rams are counting on their offensive line to put them back in the Super Bowl hunt. The Rams invested in their offensive line this offseason, drafting two players and making guards Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson some of the highest-paid guards in the NFL. Havenstein returns as the longest-tenured member of the team, and Alaric Jackson helped solidify the left tackle spot. All-rookie left guard Steve Avila is moving over to center, a position he played extensively in college.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Rams' offensive line heading into 2024. Pro Football Focus doesn't share that same optimism, ranking the Rams' unit 16th in the NFL.
"The Rams' shrewd trade acquisition of Kevin Dotson ahead of the 2023 campaign paid massive dividends. He put together a breakout season, finishing with the second-highest PFF grade among guards and earning himself a new contract with the Rams. Los Angeles will hope Jonah Jackson, who the team signed in free agency, will yield similar results, as they are expected to be once again among the better run-blocking units in the NFL."
How the Steelers and Cowboys, teams relying on rookies throughout the unit, ranked in the top 10 but the Rams fell to 16th is beyond me, but regardless, PFF isn't sold on the Rams' ability up front ahead of the 2024 season.
I think their 2024 offensive line could be as good or even better than their 2018 unit. The Rams have built this unit well to fit exactly what they want to do: Run Power Often. The Rams have one of the heaviest offensive lines in football for a reason, and it's the key to their identity as a power-run team. This unit is built to bulldoze and pave the way while the 1-2 train of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum is full steam ahead behind them.
Both Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein are physical, rugged run blockers at the tackle spot. Jackson isn't anything more than average in pass protection and Havenstein has lost a step from his prime days, but they both are superb run blockers who can help drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. With the Rams potentially moving to using heavier personnel in 2024 as well, the Rams can offer both some help in pass protection with tight ends or their running backs to help mitigate their deficiencies as pass blockers.
The real strength of this team is in their interior, however. Jonah Jackson-Steve Avila-Kevin Dotson might be the most physically intimidating interior in the NFL, and each of those players are road graders in the run game. All three are stout in pass protection as well. Dotson and Jackson were top-15 in pressures allowed last season, and Avila allowed the fewest sacks of any rookie offensive lineman last season. This unit is the anchor of the Rams' offense, and this could be the best interior trio in the NFL in 2024 if Avila's move to center goes well.
The Rams' 2024 offensive line also boasts the best depth of any unit in recent memory. Joe Noteboom is the primary backup at left tackle, while 2023 fifth-round pick Warren McClendon is the primary backup at right tackle. Los Angeles spent two draft picks boosting their interior as well, adding center Beaux Limmer out of Arkansas and guard KT Leveston out of Kansas State. Those two have the edge for backup spots inside but will have to fight off former third-round pick Logan Bruss and 2022 sixth-round pick Zachary Thomas.
Offensive line play is the backbone for any offense, at all levels of the game. The Rams were wise to invest heavily into this unit this offseason, as it seems poised to propel their talented offense to another postseason run.
