Rams OL depth chart gets a minor shakeup in training camp...

The LA Rams offensive line depth chart gets a minor shake-up in training camp

[ramblinfan.com]

The LA Rams appear to be committed to their five-man starting offensive line. While there is time to change things, the current starting line configuration of left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Joseph Noteboom, center Austin Blythe, right guard Austin Corbett, and right tackle Rob Havenstein. That is three of five starters in their original positions from last season.

The only difference is right guard Blythe moving to the center position, and Austin Corbett, acquired via a mid-season trade last season, slides in at his more natural right guard position. The only other order of business? Only right guard Austin Corbett did not have surgery/rehab since the Rams last played in 2019.

How many more after starting five?
That is the basic fundamental offensive line configuration. But the Rams will likely carry eight linemen on the offensive line, with another two-four on the practice squad. So who will earn the final Rams roster spots as offensive line backups? Ah, that’s the real question, isn’t it?

The competition after the starting five is tough to decipher. Most of the early reps are going to the starters, simply to ensure that the team has a handle on the new offensive plays. While that keeps the focus correctly on the five main players in the trenches, it does create a bit of confusion as to the status of the rest of the depth chart. So what’s their story?

The rest of the story
What we do know right now is that several 2019 starters are now relegated to backup roles this season. 2019 right tackle Bobby Evans is looking to crack the starting lineup, having had a taste of the starting role in 2019. So too is 2019 starting right guard David Edwards looking for a spot on the offensive line.

Even Jamil Demby, last year’s jack-of-all-trades, gained a start last year and is looking for a home. Finally, last year’s starting center Brian Allen is still working on getting back to full strength. So who is left? Well, the Rams have drafted offensive lineman Tremayne Anchrum, undrafted offensive Cohl Cabral, and returning veterans Coleman Shelton, and Jeremiah Kolone.

Rams’ scrimmage second-string OL
The configuration for the Rams’ second-string at their first scrimmage was a bit of a shakeup. Per Sport’s Illustrated Eric Williams, the second string was 6-foot-4 312-pound Bobby Evans at left tackle, 6-foot-2 314-pound Tremayne Anchrum at left guard, 6-foot-3 316-pound Jeremiah Kolone as the center, 6-foot-6 308 pound David Edwards at right guard, and 6-foot-5 321-pound Jamil Demby at right tackle.

That’s 10 of 13 players. The remaining three are returning veteran Coleman Shelton, 2019 starting center Brian Allen, and undrafted free agent, Cohl Cabral. Is it time to start panicking in terms of their chances to make the roster? Not yet. After all, the coaches only had a week of pads to prepare their scrimmage lineups. They’ll be mixing and matching in the days ahead as they begin to fine-tune things. But a curious matter is developing so far. Is there a minor shakeup going on in the offensive line?

Shake up
The LA Rams signed up 6-foot-5 interior offensive lineman Coleman Shelton from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. While it’s still early in training camp, the lack of reporting coming out of the Rams training camp about his status is not a good sign. After all, he has been a bit of a journeyman in the NFL so far, and the hope was that the Rams depleted ranks at the offensive line would give him a beachhead to finally make a stand and earn a spot. That does not seem to be the case.

Also, last year’s starting center, Brian Allen, is still fighting his way back. His injury was a bit more complex, and he was the first NFL player to test positive for COVID-19. That has created a delay in his ability to put on the pads and join his teammates in drills so far. Will he be back to full strength in time to be in the running for an active roster spot? Perhaps not. The Rams could place him on IR to start the season.

Where did they line up?

Of course, confusing the offensive line is the conflicting reports of who lined up where during the scrimmage game. Joe Curley of USA Today Network reported a different configuration for the Rams second-string offensive line. In his version 6-foot-4 312-pound Bobby Evans at left tackle, 6-foot-2 314-pound Tremayne Anchrum at left guard, 6-foot-3 316-pound Jeremiah Kolone as the center, 6-foot-5 321-pound Jamil Demby at right guard, and 6-foot-6 308 pound David Edwards at right tackle. That arrangement seems more logical.

Well, pondering the conflict further, likely answer is that both scenarios are true. The scrimmage was about finding the most cohesive group of five players, not simply to drill the same five players over and over. With so little time to evaluate players and player groupings, the Rams’ coaching staff is saving time by creating opportunities to evaluate both simultaneously.

Jamil Demby clarifies

After the game, Jamil Demby confirmed that he actually saw action at the right guard, right tackle, and left tackle position last night. That confirms that reports out of the scrimmage were not keeping up with player changes. After the game, Demby shared that he had a lot of fun, and had a pretty good game. Of course, there is always some clean up at this point in the season, but that’s understandable with swapping in and out of three different positions in one night.

Finally, and perhaps one of the biggest disappointments of the evening was the lack of information about undrafted rookie Cohl Cabral. At 6-foot-5 and 304 pounds, he offers enough size and power to line up anywhere on the Rams offensive line. So it was a bit of a letdown not to see any reports of him involved in last night’s scrimmage. Was that because he was not involved? Or more likely, he rotated in but reports failed to capture his play on the field. Is he holding his own, or struggling to keep up? The Rams wanted a rookie to compete for their center position. Did they nail it? Or does the team feel they swung and missed? Stay tuned!