Andrew Whitworth may not be a member of the Los Angeles Rams anymore, but he remains close to the organization. And being a former offensive lineman, he knows a thing or two about blocking up front.
So when he looks at the Rams’ offensive line and says he thinks it should improve in 2023, his opinion is worth listening to. Whitworth was on the Rich Eisen Show recently and he shared his thoughts on the Rams as a whole, and specifically the offensive line.
After a disastrous 2022 season that saw them start 11 different O-line combos in the first 11 weeks, Whitworth expects the protection to be “a lot better” this season. With their younger players gaining experience and Steve Avila stepping in as a potential rookie starter, the Rams should improve.
“They have a group up front, I look for them to be much better. I think they’re gonna be a lot better,” Whitworth said. “I love the pick of the kid out of TCU. I think they’ve got some young linemen now that have played and they’ll be more experienced. I really look for them to be a little bit of a surprise. Do I think they’re still going to be limited in some of the talent they have and they’re gonna have some youth? Yes, but the beginning of their schedule’s tough. The beginning of their schedule is a rough start, that is for sure.”
Whitworth knows the Rams are lacking talent. It’s obvious to anyone who looks at their roster. But he’s not ruling them out as potential playoff contenders. He’s seen crazier things happen in the NFL and each year, there are a few teams that surprise everyone.
He thinks the Rams could be one of them in an NFC that’s weaker than usual. He can’t definitively say which seven teams in the conference are better than the Rams right now. If Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp can stay healthy, they’ll have a shot.
“It’s really gonna come down to, can those three guys – and the veteran guys that are left – stay healthy? Because if they lose one or two of those guys, it’s gonna get bad quickly. That’s really the truth about their team,” he said.