Here’s what Rams should do if Big Whit retires...

Here’s what the Rams should do if Andrew Whitworth retires

Andrew OrtenbergFebruary 9, 2019 6:41 pm ET

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Now that the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl run is over, they must turn their attention to the offseason and building the team to make another run in 2019. One of the biggest question marks surrounding the team is the status of Andrew Whitworth.

Whitworth is 37 but has still been playing at an elite level, and the Rams would surely welcome him back with open arms if he elects to keep playing. He’s made it public that he’s considering retirement, and Sean McVay seemed genuinely unsure if they’d have him back next year during his press conference earlier this week.

Right now Whitworth’s backup is Joseph Noteboom, the Rams’ late-third round pick from last year’s draft. Noteboom looked promising during the preseason, but he played just 79 offensive snaps as a rookie, and only the Rams know what their internal evaluation of him is. He certainly shouldn’t be written off, but the Rams should also take a long look outside the organization for potential replacements.


General manager Les Snead has been very aggressive in building the roster with veteran players, so it’s safe to assume he’d at least explore a trade for or free agent signing of a big name vet. When it comes to the draft, this year is widely regarded as a strong class for offensive tackles.

There could be as many as five first-round tackles, and the Rams would likely be able to get a pretty good prospect if they opted to go that direction with the 31st overall pick. The top three prospects – Alabama’s Jonah Williams, Oklahoma’s Cody Ford, and Florida’s Jawaan Taylor – will all likely be off the board by the time the Rams pick.

But there are a number of guys like Greg Little from Ole Miss, Andre Dillard from Washington State, Tytus Howard from Alabama State and Yodny Cajuste from West Virginia, who all have the potential to develop into starters. Dillard is a favorite of mine, and could be a very intriguing option for the Rams at 31.

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Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote this about him:

Overall, Dillard is a better pass protector than run blocker right now, but he is a quick-minded player with the light feet and core power to play multiple positions in the NFL, including left tackle.

As we saw with the Rams’ offense in the Super Bowl, pass protection is the most important thing, and Dillard has the potential to be elite there. He’s a great athlete and has the kind of upside that we know Snead likes. He’s sometimes been regarded as somewhat of a project, so he could be a great pick for the future even if Whitworth does decide to come back for one more year.

This year’s class is stacked, and if the Rams were ever going to take a tackle early, this is the year. Another option is a trade. Around this time last year, the Bills traded Cordy Glenn to the Bengals, and trades of good, established tackles do happen even if they’re rare. Snead has been the front office head most willing to part with draft capital for veteran players, and he’d be wise to explore another bold deal assuming Whitworth retires.


There aren’t a ton of appealing left tackles set to be free agents this March, but there are definitely some serviceable options if the coaching staff feels Noteboom isn’t ready. One potentially available guy who’s interesting is Trent Brown, who just helped stonewall the Rams’ pass rush in the Super Bowl. The Patriots’ left tackle is set to be a free agent, but he could get priced beyond what the Rams are willing to pay.

Donovan Smith, the Buccaneers’ left tackle this past year, will also be available, but he should be pretty expensive as well and would be a pretty big drop-off from Whitworth. After that, there are no definite starters, but there are some middle-tier guys who the Rams could make do with if it came to that.

The bottom line:

No matter what they do, if Whitworth does retire, the Rams will be downgrading at left tackle. There are no surefire options, and Rams fans should be hoping Whitworth decides to give it another go. Overall, both in terms of upside and cost, it might be in the Rams’ best interest to draft Whitworth’s replacement on their own if they do add a tackle this offseason.