Nothing was easy up front for the Los Angeles Rams. The offensive line was a revolving door as 10 different players started at least one game this season. This is mostly due to injuries along the O-line, but performance has also led to some changes.
The shuffling will continue in Week 10 as Jonah Jackson and possibly Steve Avila will be back on the field and Rob Havenstein is out with an ankle injury. It's possible the Rams will have three different starters than last week, but that's something the team is working on right now.
The first decision that needs to be made is where to play Jackson. Throughout training camp, the Rams planned to use him at left guard. Then, just before the season began, they moved him to center and kept Avila on the left side. The Rams only saw this combination for a total of 37 snaps before Avila went down, so Sean McVay is trying to figure out where each player fits best.
McVay said Jackson will get reps at left guard and center as the Rams try to find his best spot up front.
“We will give him the opportunity to work in both areas,” McVay said. “Steve will be able to get some work too. It's good to have these guys back on the practice field. We had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line, so it’s certainly something we’re used to.”
It's not just about which position Jackson is best at. Beaux Limmer has been outstanding at center all year, but can also play at left back. So if Jackson returns but Avila doesn't, it might be best to keep Limmer at center and use Jackson at left guard.
With both Jackson and Avila ready to go, it will come down to deciding where each player feels most comfortable – something that seemed to stymie the coaching staff before the season.
There's no question that Jackson and Avila give the Rams the best chance to win, but their health and limited reps could influence the final decision along the O-line.
“I think you have to try to trust your gut and ultimately judge what we think is best,” McVay said. “Where are these guys physically? Obviously these are special players and guys who have played a lot of really good football in this league. It's part of the assessment. That's the challenge of having limited reps over the course of the week leading up to the game. We’ll evaluate it and then it’s a combination of both performance-based performance and medical condition.”
Then there’s the right tackle situation. Havenstein won't play this week, but the Rams have two candidates who could replace him: Warren McClendon Jr. and Joe Noteboom. Noteboom was inactive last week, so it was McClendon who filled in for Havenstein after he was sidelined, but with both players active in Week 10, the Rams have another decision to make.
“There is a good possibility of either/or. We’re going to work through these things,” McVay said Monday. “I thought Joe made good progress, but I thought Warren did a good job and played some good snaps for us yesterday. These are positive things we can find out.”
The Rams don't want to change the offensive line seemingly on a weekly basis, but the returns of Jackson and Avila are positives for this team and there is hope that Havenstein won't be out for long.
