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All agree that Austin Blythe should start for the Rams, even the lineman he replaced
Rich Hammond
THOUSAND OAKS – Austin Blythe solidified his status as a super sub, and it seems he can be more.
The Rams have a delightful problem. Jamon Brown, an effective starter at right guard last season, has returned from a two-game suspension, but Blythe did a stellar job as his replacement. So now what?
No need to overthink this one. The Rams are 2-0, with 30-plus points in both games, and the offensive line looks effective and cohesive. Brown might regain his job as some point, but for now, there’s no reason for the Rams to take Blythe, a former waiver-wire pickup, out of the starting lineup.
Everyone seems to be in agreement, including Brown.
“I’m going to do whatever is asked of me,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “Blythe, he played well the first two weeks and I think he earned and deserved every right to continue to keep that up. I’ll do what I can, as far as still preparing and still practicing and approaching every day the same.”
Rams coach Sean McVay has stopped short of declaring that Blythe will keep the job, or for how long, but McVay’s thinly veiled comments this week indicated that Blythe will start Sunday against the Chargers.
Blythe, 26, whom the Rams plucked after Indianapolis discarded him in May 2017, has started only four NFL games, but he was superb in the last two – this year’s season opener at Oakland and last week’s dominant victory over Arizona – when he played every snap and certainly didn’t look out of place.
The Rams activated Brown from the exempt list Wednesday and he practiced for the first time in three weeks. Presumably, Brown will be available against the Chargers, but probably as a backup.
The NFL suspended Brown for the first two games of the season for a violation of its substance-abuse policy. Brown served a four-day house-arrest sentence in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI. Brown said police found marijuana in his car, but Brown was not charged for any drug possession.
During his absence, a top analytics website, Pro Football Focus, graded Blythe as the NFL’s fourth-best guard (left or right) though the first two weeks of the season. The site graded Blythe higher as a pass blocker than a run blocker, with two quarterback pressures allowed on 135 snaps.
Blythe also opened eyes in the run game. On a fourth-and-goal play from the Arizona 1-yard line last Sunday, Blythe mauled a defensive lineman and Todd Gurley scored without being touched.
“It feels good,” Blythe said. “Really, I think it just means I’ve done my job and done it well enough that the coaches have recognized it and they’re going to continue to let me try to prove myself. I’ve got to keep doing it every week.”
The Rams also must make decisions with the future in mind. Brown is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will be due a raise at the end of his rookie contract. More notably, left guard Rodger Saffold also is set to be a free agent, and he has a salary-cap hit of almost $8 million this season.
