ESPN REPORT: Steve Avila offensive line Always On positions
It’s hard not to like the investment the Los Angeles Rams have put into their interior offensive line this offseason. After re-signing Kevin Dotson and adding free agent Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila will change positions after a promising rookie season and move inside to center from guard. In total those three players’ listed weights combine for over 1,000 pounds of run blocking force, and that should be good news for Sean McVay’s offense if the unit stays healthy.
Most seem comfortable with Avila changing positions, and that’s probably fair since it was part of his profile as a draft prospect coming out of TCU. However, I’ll play devil’s advocate as I tend to do and provide a reminder that the last time the Rams’ tried to move a starting guard to center their plan never really come to fruition.
Austin Corbett is a cautionary tale for Steve Avila
Ahead of the 2021 season after trading for Matthew Stafford, LA intended to move Corbett from right guard to center. Instead, when the season kicked off in Week 1 it was Brian Allen snapping the ball to Stafford and not Corbett.
Some will say that Allen showed a tenacity in training camp that won him the job. He was coming off of a major injury from his second NFL season and had something to prove. We’ll never know if Corbett’s performance at center was good enough because we never got to see him play either in the preseason or regular season. Fortunately, the failed position change in 2021 didn’t set the Rams’ offense back. With Allen at center Corbett kicked back to right guard and the offensive line was consistently good throughout the season.
Interestingly enough, Corbett is moving to center for the Carolina Panthers in 2024 as they revamp their offensive line for young signal caller Bryce Young.
I’d argue that this year’s version of the offensive line, though better at the first-string level and overall incomplete without knowing how the draft will shake out, doesn’t have the same safety net that the 2021 version did. Coleman Shelton is no longer a Ram—he signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason and will compete for their starting job. LA’s backup center at this point in time is probably Mike McAllister who was an undrafted free agent that the team signed last year from Youngstown State.
If for some reason Avila’s shift to center doesn’t work as intended, and it’s fair to wonder whether this is the best utilization of his skillset, there may not be a good contingency plan. You can’t move Jackson or Dotson to the bench after signing them to large free agent deals. That leaves Avila with no home if he doesn’t hold up at center, and that means both he and the Rams need this change to work.
The Los Angeles Rams have made it a priority to make sure they have an adequate backup for Matthew Stafford.
Stafford has dealt with various injuries throughout his career, so the Rams understood that they needed to find help in their quarterback room. After he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles jumped at the chance to sign Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo signed a one-year deal with the Rams and he explained how it came about.
“It’s been a crazy process,” Garoppolo said. The free agency, it went the way I thought it was going to. I had a couple different options. Rams came in about midway through and I fell in love with the place. They’re straight to the point, very professional which I appreciated and there’s no messing around. Excited to be here. It’s going to be fun.”
The former Raiders signal caller also revealed that a conversation with head coach Sean McVay helped him make such an important decision. “It was a combination. Obviously good players all around, that’s a big part of it. Talking to (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) on the phone, him just running me through offense and things that he had in mind. It really became appetizing and I know a lot of the coaches here so a lot of familiarity in that aspect. Then having played against the Rams a lot in my career, I’ve seen a lot of good things from L.A.”
Lastly, Garoppolo knew he would be coming in as a backup but credited McVay for explaining his vision for him in the offense. “That was part of the being patient thing that I was talking about earlier. Just with my situation, obviously with the suspension it is what it is. But I think the other quarterbacks kind of fell into place and things really worked out well.
“There were a couple different options, but once the Rams came in, started talking to Sean on the phone and really picking his brain, that was a cool moment. That was when it really started to click. I was like this is becoming more and more real. Obviously love the area, starting to experience it a little bit being out here, can’t really beat this at all. But it’s just a bunch of those little things coming together. I think talking to Sean on the phone really sealed the deal though.”
Garoppolo’s played in a similar system to McVay’s and made for a natural target. Without the burden of starting, Garoppolo has a chance to rehab his value and hit free agency again next summer.
Former Rams quarterback Carson Wentz signs with Chiefs
Carson Wentz had the honor of being Stafford’s backup last season, but after Los Angeles signed Garoppolo, he opted to go to the Kansas City Chiefs on a one-year deal.
