Tag: Beaux Limmer

Beaux Limmer’s impressive play is making the Rams’ decision at center easy

The Rams benched Jonah Jackson for rookie Beaux Limmer on Sunday and it’ll be hard for them to go back to their big FA signing

When the Los Angeles Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency this offseason, he was projected to be their starting left guard. By Week 1, though, Jackson had moved to center and by Week 2, he was on injured reserve.

He finally returned from his shoulder injury in Week 10 but after struggling in his first game back, the Rams benched their high-priced lineman in favor of sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer.

It wasn’t terribly surprising after seeing Jackson’s play in the Week 10 loss to the Dolphins, and with Limmer playing as well as he has, it’s going to be hard for the Rams to turn back to Jackson.

According to The 33rd Team, Limmer allowed a pressure rate of only 3.7% on Sunday against the Patriots, the seventh-best of any rookie lineman.

This isn’t the first time Limmer has played really well at center, either. Pro Football Focus has only pegged him with 11 pressures allowed all season, including just three in his last five games.

Jackson, meanwhile, has allowed seven pressures in only two and a half games and a third of the snaps that Limmer has played.

Despite Jackson’s bloated contract and all the excitement surrounding that signing in March, the Rams may not have a choice but to stick with Limmer as their starting center. Sean McVay has always preached that the Rams are looking for their five best starters on the offensive line and if it’s a true meritocracy, it’ll be Limmer playing until further notice.

He’s clearly outplayed Jackson and is earning the trust of his coaches and players each week.

Benching Beaux Limmer for Jonah Jackson was a big mistake by the Rams

The Rams went with their high-priced FA over the 6th-round rookie on Monday night and it turned out to be a costly change

Continuity has been elusive for the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line this season, undergoing several changes throughout the first half of the year due to injuries. Whether it was Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson going down, Rob Havenstein’s injuries, Alaric Jackson’s suspension or Logan Bruss’ struggles at left guard, the Rams have had to shuffle their O-line more than they’d like this season.

On Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, they might’ve made one too many changes.

Avila and Jackson were both activated off IR after missing the last seven and six games, respectively. Just as the offense is peaking, the line gets two of its Week 1 starters back after lengthy absences.

Exciting, right?

Yes and no. Avila slid in at left guard and after knocking off some rust early in the game, he finally settled in. The same can’t be said about Jackson. He never got comfortable at center and was part of the reason the Rams’ offense never got off the ground, either.

Sean McVay made the decision to bench sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer in order to get Jackson on the field and it completely backfired. Limmer, who hasn’t allowed a sack all year and has given up just three QB hits, was playing well – much better than Jackson did on Monday night.

Jackson struggled in pass protection and his worst play of the night was a high snap that went through Matthew Stafford’s hand for a 13-yard loss. That happened from the Dolphins’ 28-yard line, and after two plays that gained 7 yards, the Rams were forced to settle for a 52-yard field goal. A false start, ironically by Limmer, before the snap on the FG pushed it back another 5 yards and Joshua Karty missed wide right from 57 yards.

It was only one play, but that bad snap by Jackson might’ve been the difference in winning or losing. Had the Rams at least gotten a field goal, they would’ve cut into the Dolphins’ lead and made it 10-9. Instead, Miami scored on the next drive to go up 17-6.

After the game, McVay explained the decision to bench Limmer and Justin Dedich in favor of Jackson and Avila.

“Both Steve and Jonah were ready to go,” he said. “Wanted to be able to see what that looked like. You never know exactly, but always try to do what we think is best. This will be some good film to look at and see, all right, what do we think is the best way to put guys in the right spots to give them the chance to be successful and ultimately our offense.”

When asked specifically about the performance of the offensive line, McVay acknowledged there was some poor play. He also mentioned the word “continuity,” which the Rams finally found in the last three games with Dedich at left guard and Limmer at center.

“It didn’t seem very – it seemed like, I want to be able to look at the tape, but there was a lot of things that were not in alignment with what we’re looking for,” he said. “That’s why you hear us talk about the importance of continuity. Got a lot of respect for that defense, they did a nice job. But there was too many things that it just seemed like we were off and never gave ourselves a chance. And it’s not exclusively on the line. As a whole, collectively, we’re all in this thing together and we’ll look at it and we’ve got to be able to improve and everything’s on the table.”

Those last few words – “everything’s on the table” – suggest Jackson may not be ensured of a starting job in Week 11. He probably shouldn’t be. If the Rams don’t want to bench their $51 million lineman, they should at least consider putting him back at left guard, the position they paid him to play, and sliding Avila over to center.

Because after watching that debacle on Monday night, it’s clear Jackson shouldn’t be the starting center.

Rams have big decisions to make along offensive line for Week 10

The ongoing shuffling along the offensive line continues for the Rams this week with three positions still to be sorted out

Nothing has been easy up front for the Los Angeles Rams. The offensive line has been a revolving door, with 10 different players starting at least one game this season. That’s mostly been due to injuries suffered along the O-line, but performance has also led to some changes, too.

The shuffling will continue in Week 10 now that Jonah Jackson and possibly Steve Avila will be back on the field, and with Rob Havenstein out due to an ankle injury. It’s possible the Rams will have three different starters than they had last week, but it’s something the team is working through right now.

The first decision that must be made is where to play Jackson. Throughout training camp, the Rams were planning to play him at left guard. Then just before the start of the season, they moved him to center and kept Avila at left guard. The Rams only got to see that combination for a total of 37 snaps before Avila went down, so Sean McVay is trying to figure out where each player fits best.

McVay said Jackson will get reps at left guard and center as the Rams attempt to find his best spot up front.

“We’ll give him an opportunity to be able to get some work at both,” McVay said. “Steve will be able to get some work as well. It’s good to be able to have those guys back out on the practice field. We have had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line so it’s certainly something we’re used to.”

It’s not just about what position Jackson is best at, either. Beaux Limmer has been outstanding at center all year, but he can also play left guard. So if Jackson returns but Avila doesn’t, it might be best to keep Limmer at center and start Jackson at left guard.

If both Jackson and Avila are good to go, it’ll come down to deciding where each player is most comfortable – something that seemingly stymied the coaching staff before the season.

There’s little question that Jackson and Avila give the Rams the best chance to win, but their health and limited reps could impact the final decision along the O-line.

“I think you have to be able to try to trust your gut, make an evaluation on ultimately what we think is going to be best,” McVay said. “Where are these guys at physically? Obviously, these are special players and guys that have played a lot of really good football in this league. It’s part of the evaluation. That’s what’s challenging when you have limited repetitions during the course of the week leading into the game. We’ll evaluate it and then it’s a combination of both performance-based and then how they are feeling medically.”

Then there’s the situation at right tackle. Havenstein won’t play this week but the Rams have two candidates to replace him: Warren McClendon Jr. and Joe Noteboom. Noteboom was inactive last week so it was McClendon who filled in for Havenstein after he went down, but with both players active in Week 10, the Rams have another decision to make.

“There is a good possibility for either or. We’ll work through those things,” McVay said Monday. “I thought Joe made some good progress, but I thought Warren did a nice job stepping in and he played some quality snaps for us yesterday. These are positive things that we can figure out.”

The Rams would rather not need to shuffle the offensive line on a seemingly weekly basis, but the returns of Jackson and Avila are positives for this team, and the hope is that Havenstein won’t be out long.

Matthew Stafford expresses confidence in rookie Beaux Limmer at center

Matthew Stafford spoke publicly about his rookie center, expressing confidence in Beaux Limmer

The Rams have had to shake up their offensive line after two weeks filled with injuries and a suspension.

While players like Beaux Limmer have benefited from opportunities, Matthew Stafford has had to bear the growing pains of such a process.

Stafford has worked closely with Limmer in the last two weeks following the injury to Steve Avila, essentially running him through a speed course of the proper checks, protections and assignments needed to be called out and understood by a center at the NFL level.

However, Stafford hasn’t had to hold Limmer’s hand with the rookie center quickly grasping and then implementing said lessons. When it comes to Limmer’s ability to identify protections, Stafford had positive things to say about the sixth-round rookie.

“I think the biggest thing is trying to lean on keeping it as simple as you possibly can [and] keep it in boxes for those guys,” Stafford said Wednesday. “He does that. I feel like it’s a little bit of everything. It’s a little bit of communication with me. It’s a little bit of [the] game plan. It’s a little bit of everything.”

Stafford also spoke about having such a drastic change with the center position and how Limmer has handled it so far.

“I think the biggest thing is, number one, getting snaps [and] getting used to that,” he added. “The worst thing you can do is sit there thinking about where the snap is going to be or how it goes. I think that’s the biggest thing and then just communication. Hopefully, he feels like he can lean on me to get us pointed in the right direction and then let him try to take things off of his plate. He’s played with some veteran guards on each side the last couple weeks so that helps, but I think he’s doing a really good job. As far as my work with him, it’s just trying to get us in and out of the right place, making sure he’s tied into why we’re doing certain things and then where we’re going to go with protections.”

A rookie center’s best friend is a veteran QB, which can help make up for the pitfalls that come with youth. As Stafford’s bond with Limmer continues to grow, Limmer himself should establish a voice in this league and for an offensive line in need of a shot caller, Limmer’s proving he’s well on the way to being that man.

Charts show how bad Rams’ pass protection has been compared to rest of NFL

Analytics show the Rams’ pass protection has been miles worse than every other team in the NFL

Matthew Stafford enjoyed good protection from his offensive line last season but he’s taken a beating in the first two weeks of the 2024 campaign. With Steve Avila, Rob Havenstein, Alaric Jackson and Joe Noteboom all missing time already, Stafford has been under heavy pressure when dropping back to pass.

It’s not surprising given the constant shuffling up front, but something has to improve before Stafford joins his teammates on injured reserve from the litany of hits he’s been taking.

ESPN and Pro Football Focus’ analytics can give us an idea of just how bad the Rams’ pass protection has been through two games and it’s clear they’ve been the league’s worst in that department. Based on the chart below, they’re in a class of their own – and not in a good way.

PFF’s grading has clearly been harsher on the Rams than ESPN’s pass-blocking win rate metric, but the point still stands: LA has been horrendous at protecting its quarterback.

Another chart using PFF’s pass-blocking grades on true pass sets (excluding play-action, screens and quick passes) shows the Rams are by far the worst in the league with a score of 39. The next-closest team is the Dolphins at 47, while the Colts are No. 1 with a grade of 80.

The good news is that Alaric Jackson will return from his suspension this week, taking over at left tackle for Warren McClendon Jr. That was by far the Rams’ weakest spot in the first two weeks so hopefully Jackson’s return will help.

On the flip side, Jonah Jackson will miss at least four games with a shoulder injury so the Rams’ guard play could take a hit.

Rookie Beaux Limmer establishes himself as a key player for Sean McVay and the Rams

Sean McVay recently took to the media to give praise to rookie center Beaux Limmer after his NFL debut.

Beaux Limmer went from being a developmental project coming out of Arkansas to being thrust into the Rams’ lineup after a slew of injuries impacted the team’s offensive line.

Despite the bright lights and the Lions’ vaunted pass rush, Limmer held his own out there, accelerating his development timeline.

Sean McVay came away impressed with the sixth-round rookie, who stepped in after Steve Avila got hurt in Week 1.

“I thought he did a great job,” McVay said this week. “He’s answered the bell every time he’s gotten opportunities whether that was in the Texans joint practice, having to step up in some of the situations against Dallas, and then (Sunday). I was really pleased with him in that atmosphere, that environment to handle it the way that he did. I wouldn’t say that I was surprised though based on what I’ve seen from him. It was impressive and yes, he will get some work moving forward. I have a lot of confidence in Beaux.”

While the Rams rework their offensive line, it looks like Limmer could be establishing himself as the Rams’ long-term solution at center.

Beaux Limmer already proving valuable to Rams as 6th-round rookie

Beaux Limmer is only a sixth-round rookie but he’s already showing his value on the interior of the line

The Los Angeles Rams’ starting offensive line has pretty much been set since Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson and Alaric Jackson all signed their contracts this spring. The team has assembled a terrific starting five but the first-team unit has been banged up all summer.

Both Jacksons are rehabbing injuries at the moment, as is Rob Havenstein. And while the hope is that all five starters will be healthy for Week 1, the Rams have to feel good about the depth up front – which includes sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer.

Amid all the shuffling along the offensive line, Limmer has quietly gotten first-team reps at center, which was the case on Thursday during the team’s practice with the Texans. It’s not that he’s going to unseat Steve Avila as the starting center. It’s that the Rams want to be prepared in case they suffer an injury up front that forces Avila to play guard and thrusts Limmer into a starting center role.

Sean McVay continues to be impressed by Limmer’s play this offseason, complimenting him once again after Thursday’s practice.

“I like the command. I like the communication. I think you see a lot of the physical traits where he can come out of his hips and get good removal,” McVay said. “I think he’s getting more and more comfortable in the protection element of it, but Beaux has made some really good strides. I think that’s a credit to the guys around him, but also Ryan Wendell and Zak Kromer. To be able to have some versatile pieces like what we do and then being able to get Jonah back, that’ll be really big for us.”

Matthew Stafford works closely with the center and has developed a good rapport with Avila, but he also likes what he’s seen from the rookie Limmer.

“He’s done a nice job. Good command,” Stafford said. “Obviously, he’s played the position for a long time, understands it. Professional snapper of the football and again, he’s a rookie. It’s learning constantly. These kinds of practices are great for him. He goes against our defense, gets looks at our guys over and over again. You have to come out here and block some of these guys and different looks and jet techniques and all that kind of stuff so it’s good for him.”

Sixth-round rookies are never a lock to make the 53-man roster, but there’s no question Limmer is going to make the team. His versatility as a center and guard makes him valuable to the Rams, particularly with all of the injuries they’ve suffered up front.

With Limmer and Zach Thomas playing well, along with Logan Bruss at guard, the Rams have plenty of depth heading into the regular season.

Two Rams among NFL’s highest-graded Day 3 rookies this preseason

Jordan Whittington and Beaux Limmer have been two of the best late-round rookies this preseason

There’s a false perception that the Los Angeles Rams don’t care about the draft because of how frequently they trade away their picks. But when you actually dig into their draft history under Les Snead and Sean McVay, they’re one of the top teams when it comes to Day 3 picks.

They’ve found countless starters on the final day of the draft, including Sebastian Joseph-Day, Nick Scott, Greg Gaines, Jordan Fuller, Quentin Lake and Puka Nacua, among several others. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Rams have two of the best Day 3 rookies playing in the NFL this preseason.

According to PFF’s grades, Beaux Limmer and Jordan Whittington are among the 10 highest-graded Day 3 picks this preseason. Limmer ranks third with a grade of 81.7, while Whittington is 8th at 78.5. Limmer has yet to allow a single pressure this preseason and Whittington leads all players with 11 receptions in two games.

Whittington and Limmer were each sixth-round picks this year, going within four spots of each other. Whittington is a lock to make the 53-man roster and Limmer has a very good chance to be the backup center behind Steve Avila this season.

The team’s other two sixth-round picks, Tyler Davis and Joshua Karty, have also looked great in the preseason. This year’s draft class is on track to be another impactful one for the Rams.

Beaux Limmer drafted in sixth round by Los Angeles Rams; late-round steal?

2024 NFL Draft: The Los Angeles Rams selected Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer in the sixth round of the NFL Draft Saturday.

Former Arkansas offensive lineman Beaux Limmer is headed west.

Limmer became the second Razorbacks player — behind kicker Cam Little — from this year’s draft class to be chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Los Angeles Rams selected him with a sixth-round pick (217th overall) late Saturday.

A three-year starter on the Razorbacks’ offensive line who played all three interior positions, Limmer made 41 starts for Arkansas in his college career — including 36 straight. He moved to center ahead of the 2023 season.

Dane Brugler, an NFL draft analyst for The Athletic, had Limmer as a fifth-round pick ahead of the draft. Pro Football Focus (PFF) had also graded Limmer as the Razorbacks’ top-rated offensive lineman for 2023.

And our friends over at Rams Wire believe Limmer to be a steal for Sean McVay’s team.

Limmer was named to both the Rimington Trophy Watch List and Outland Trophy Watch List ahead of last season. He was also selected to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. back in February.

Rams select Arkansas OL Beaux Limmer with 217th overall pick

Needing depth on the interior of the O-line, the Rams selected Arkansas C/G Beaux Limmer with their last pick in Round 6

With the last of their four picks in Round 6, the Los Angeles Rams added some depth to the interior of their offensive line. At No. 217 overall, they selected Arkansas lineman Beaux Limmer.

Limmer played all three interior positions during his career at Arkansas, beginning at right guard in 2020. He then played 11 games at center in 2023, mixing in one game at left guard in his final season at Arkansas.

At this point in the draft, this is a terrific selection for the Rams. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had a fourth-round grade on him, so getting Limmer at No. 217 overall in Round 6 is a steal.

He’s a multi-year starter and a versatile piece up front, giving the Rams options behind Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson. The interior O-line wasn’t a pressing need thanks to the contracts given to Jonah Jackson and Dotson, but the Rams certainly needed depth in the middle.