Tag: Joe Noteboom

Joe Noteboom has deep shoulder bruise but is expected to play vs. Bengals

Sean McVay provided an update on Joe Noteboom’s shoulder injury, which isn’t expected to affect his availability for Week 3

Joe Noteboom left Sunday’s game against the 49ers with a shoulder injury and was unable to return, getting replaced by Tremayne Anchrum Jr. at right guard. Sean McVay didn’t have an update on his status after the 30-23 loss, but he did share some details Monday on the lineman’s health.

McVay said Noteboom has a “deep bruise” in his shoulder but he’s not expected to miss the Rams’ upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Noteboom played well in the season opener against Seattle and the line did a great job against the 49ers before he got hurt, but it struggled a little bit once he went down Sunday.

Thankfully, he’s still expected to play in the Rams’ next game against Cincinnati.

Joe Noteboom questionable to return with shoulder injury

Joe Noteboom injured his shoulder in the second half and is questionable to return

Joe Noteboom has dealt with injuries throughout his career and on Sunday against the 49ers, he went down once again. In the second half of the game, Noteboom exited with a shoulder injury and is listed as questionable to return.

Noteboom was replaced by Tremayne Anchrum Jr. in the lineup at right guard.

Last season, Noteboom tore his Achilles and missed most of the season, but he bounced back and earned a starting role at right guard. He was projected to be the starting left tackle when the Rams signed him to an extension last season but he’s since moved to the interior.

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Rams’ offensive line finished 3rd in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1

The Rams finished 3rd in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1 after keeping Matthew Stafford clean against the Seahawks.

One of the positives that came from Week 1 for the Los Angeles Rams is the fact the new-look offensive line performed admirably well. After a stellar outing to begin the season, the Rams’ offensive line finished third in aggregated pass protection ratings in Week 1 versus the Seattle Seahawks.

To come up with the aggregated ratings, PFF grades and SIS scores were weighted at 40 percent each. The final 20 percent came from ESPN’s pass-block win rate, which was the only metric that was vastly different for the Rams.

 

Injuries and inconsistency led to the Rams allowing Matthew Stafford to be sacked 29 times in only 9 starts in 2022. The offensive line surrendered 59 total sacks a season ago.

Following a dismal season in the trenches, the Rams added new faces and made alterations to the starting offensive line. The five starters in Week 1 from left to right were Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, and Rob Havenstein.

With a new starting five in place, the Rams allowed five total pressures and zero sacks in a 30-13 win over the Seahawks on the road. Sean McVay had nothing but positive things to say about how the offensive line performed in the season opener.

While it was a step in the right direction for the Rams’ offensive line, they’ll be tasked with slowing down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

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Stats show Rams’ offensive line was one of NFL’s best in Week 1

The Rams’ offensive line looked great in Week 1 against the Seahawks and the stats back that up.

Many were curious to see how the new-look offensive line of the Los Angeles Rams would perform in Week 1, and they didn’t disappoint. Following Sunday’s lopsided win over the Seattle Seahawks, stats show just how dominant the offensive line of the Rams was in the season opener.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Rams’ pass-blocking grade of 84.8 is the second-highest of any team in the NFL through Sunday’s games in Week 1. They allowed just five pressures all game long, which is an impressive number compared to last year’s performances up front.

To begin the season, the Rams deployed a starting offensive line of Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, and Rob Havenstein. Matthew Stafford had plenty of time to survey the field in the passing game, and most importantly, the offensive line didn’t allow the veteran quarterback to be sacked.

Moving Noteboom to right guard and having Jackson take his place at left tackle was the most notable alteration the Rams made in the trenches. It certainly panned out — at least for now — as Jackson currently boasts the third-highest pass-blocking grade among offensive linemen in Week 1.

Injuries and inconsistent play plagued the offensive line of the Rams in 2022, which led to Stafford enduring multiple injuries himself. As a team, the Rams allowed 59 sacks a season ago, making it the most sacks given up in a single season during Sean McVay’s tenure with the organization.

It is only one week, but the first impressions of the new-look offensive line are undoubtedly positive. Each starter finished with a pass-blocking grade of 73 or higher in Week 1, according to PFF. After keeping Stafford upright against the Seahawks, the Rams’ offensive line unit will be tasked with slowing down a dynamic defense in the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

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Here’s who the Rams started on the offensive line in Week 1

After an offseason of mystery, the Rams finally settled on a starting offensive line – which includes Joe Noteboom

We went just about the entire offseason without knowing what the Rams’ starting offensive line would look like, but we finally found out on Sunday when they took on the Seahawks. For the first play of the game, the Rams trotted out the following five players up front

LT: Alaric Jackson

LG: Steve Avila

C: Coleman Shelton

RG: Joe Noteboom

RT: Rob Havenstein

For the last few weeks, it looked like Tremayne Anchrum Jr. would be the starting right guard, but Noteboom emerged late and got the nod instead. Shelton beat out Brian Allen at center, which isn’t overly surprising.

We knew Jackson, Avila and Havenstein were in line to start for a while, but we were waiting to find out who would start at center and right guard.

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‘Good chance’ Joe Noteboom starts at RG for Rams in Week 1

Sean McVay revealed that Joe Noteboom is expected to be the starting right guard for the Rams in Week 1.

The Los Angeles Rams have yet to reveal who will be their starting five offensive linemen for Week 1, but Joe Noteboom is expected to be named a starter. With the Rams set to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sean McVay revealed “there’s a good chance” that Noteboom draws the start at right guard over Tremayne Anchrum Jr., who was the presumed starter.

Noteboom began the 2022 campaign as the starting left tackle for the Rams after signing a multi-year deal. The former third-round pick suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 6 of last season, prompting him to be brought along slowly by the Rams in the offseason.

Amid Noteboom’s absence, Alaric Jackson got more reps at left tackle and has seemingly earned the starting job. And with Jackson’s emergence on the left side, the Rams began having Noteboom take snaps at right guard to compete with Anchrum.

The Rams also acquired Kevin Dotson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the preseason concluded to bolster the interior of their offensive line. While the starting offensive line hasn’t been made public, it’s looking like Noteboom will line up at right guard with the rest of the starters.

Noteboom hasn’t made a start at guard since the 2019 season when he started six games at left guard.

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Joe Noteboom feels fully healthy and ‘100 percent comfortable’ at right guard now

Joe Noteboom missed time with an undisclosed injury but he feels fully healthy and comfortable at right guard as the season approaches

Joe Noteboom missed about a week of practice with an undisclosed injury, raising some questions about what was going on with the veteran lineman. Sean McVay has still not said what Noteboom was dealing with, only saying it wasn’t related to his Achilles tear from last season, but Noteboom is healthy again and ready to compete at right guard.

Though he’s not currently penciled in as a starting offensive lineman, Noteboom has the ability to play left tackle and right guard if needed. And while his injury came at a terrible time with the preseason winding down, Noteboom says he’s “100 percent now,” according to The Athletic.

Like McVay, Noteboom didn’t share any details about the injury but did say it was “really small, kind of a maintenance thing.”

As for his transition to right guard, which is where he’ll primarily be competing, he’s getting much more comfortable there – especially having played left guard in the past.

“Anyone that has played (will) say switching sides isn’t easy,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing (those reps) over and over and over again every day. At this point, it feels comfortable now. At the end of the day it is just flipped. Same footwork and technique (as left guard), just flipped. Takes the body a little time to adjust, but I feel 100 percent comfortable at it now.”

The Rams acquired Kevin Dotson in a trade with the Steelers on Sunday, adding some more depth to the offensive line, specifically at guard. That may complicate things for Noteboom a bit, but he’s still expected to make the 53-man roster unless a surprise trade happens.

Noteboom might be the Rams’ highest-paid offensive lineman but they’re not going to start him just based on that. They’re truly looking for their five best players up front, and if he’s not among them, so be it.

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Sean McVay believes Joe Noteboom is one of the Rams’ five best offensive linemen

Sean McVay shared that he believes Joe Noteboom is one of the best five offensive linemen on the Rams entering the 2023 season.

Since early in the offseason, Sean McVay and Mike LaFleur have made it crystal clear that the Los Angeles Rams are going to deploy their best five offensive linemen in Week 1. With the first week of the season right around the corner, McVay believes Joe Noteboom has done enough this offseason to warrant him being one of those top five.

“I think he’s played that way during camp. Again, the interesting thing is to get better at football, you have to be able to play football,” McVay said. “And so we want to be able to find that five and the way that it fits together and it’s hard to be able to see that if we don’t have people out here. And so all we can do is continue to work with the guys that are available. I want to see them continue to take steps in the right direction, but I’ve been super pleased with the camp that Joe has had. I think he’s played outstanding at tackle and guard. When he gets back then we’ll have to figure out, all right, which one of those spots do we want to be able to rep him at? But in the midst of his absence, I’ve been really proud of the guys that have stepped up.”

Noteboom returned to practice for the Rams on Wednesday as the team prepares to hold joint practices with the Denver Broncos ahead of a preseason matchup on Saturday. The sixth-year offensive lineman has been absent from practice recently due to an undisclosed injury or issue that isn’t connected to his season-ending Achilles ailment from last season, according to McVay.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Noteboom received a three-year, $40 million deal in hopes he’d be the long-term replacement for Andrew Whitworth. If practices are any indication of what the Rams intend on doing, Alaric Jackson has usurped Noteboom at left tackle with the former third-round pick recovering from a season-ending injury and his most recent absence.

Throughout training camp, the Rams began giving Noteboom reps at guard, putting him in a competition with Tremayne Anchrum at right guard. So even if Noteboom isn’t starting at left tackle, the Rams are giving him an opportunity to earn another starting spot in the trenches.

While time is ticking for the Rams to decide on who will start along the offensive line, McVay seems confident that Noteboom can start at multiple spots when he’s healthy.

Ahkello Witherspoon among Rams players to miss Wednesday’s practice with Broncos

Sean McVay shared injury updates on Ahkello Witherspoon and others following practice with the Broncos

With Week 1 approaching, the Los Angeles Rams are going to be especially careful with players in practice and the preseason. They don’t want to risk further injury if a guy isn’t 100%, erring on the side of caution more often than not.

That was the case on Wednesday when the Rams practiced with the Broncos for the first of two days. Joe Noteboom was limited to individual drills due to an undisclosed injury, while Rob Havenstein was also held out as a precaution.

“Joe just got some individual. Probably still be smart and err on the side of caution with him. Did the same with Rob Havenstein. You guys didn’t see him out there,” McVay said.

Ahkello Witherspoon and Jason Taylor were both absent from practice, too. Witherspoon felt some discomfort in his groin so the Rams are playing it safe with him, while Taylor felt something in his psoas muscle so he missed practice, as well.

“With Ahkello, felt a little groin,” he said. “Wanted to be smart on that with any of that soft-tissue stuff. And then with Jason, same thing. Kind of just feeling a little bit in his psoas, and so wanted to be smart there.”

Logan Bruss tweaked his ankle in Saturday’s preseason game against the Raiders but he was back at practice Wednesday, which McVay was pleased to see. Defensive lineman Larrell Murchison felt the effects of the high altitude so he was on the sidelines.

“As far as Logan, it was good to be able to see him push through,” McVay said. “Got his ankle a couple of days ago and he was able to get some snaps today, which was important. And then Larrell was feeling a little bit of the altitude but I think he’s going to be OK.”

On the bright side, Cooper Kupp and Derion Kendrick both returned to practice. That’s encouraging as the start of the regular season rapidly approaches.

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Sean McVay: ‘Fingers crossed’ Joe Noteboom can practice this week

Sean McVay still isn’t saying much about Joe Noteboom’s injury but he hopes he can practice this week against the Broncos

Joe Noteboom missed last week’s practices with the Las Vegas Raiders because of an undisclosed injury, which has certainly hurt his chances of earning the starting job at left tackle or right guard. Sean McVay has been oddly vague about the situation, not even using the word “injury” when describing his absence.

On Sunday, McVay was asked if Noteboom’s injury is related to his Achilles tear from last season, but he said it isn’t. He also doesn’t know if Noteboom will practice this week against the Broncos, but he’s keeping his fingers crossed.

“I’m hopeful. It’s day-to-day. I have much better clarity on Cooper (Kupp) and on Derion Kendrick that they’re going to go,” McVay said. “With Joe, it’s kind of a fingers crossed. And then if not, then next week is where we anticipate the thumbs up, but I would love for him to be able to go if possible.”

Noteboom had been competing at left tackle with Alaric Jackson, but the Rams are giving him more opportunities at right guard now, which is where Tremayne Anchrum Jr. is playing. There’s no clear indication of whether Noteboom or Anchrum is the favorite to start at right guard, but the longer Noteboom is out, the worse his chances get.

The Rams will hold two joint practices with the Broncos this week before facing them in the final preseason game on Saturday night. With how much value McVay puts on these practices, it would really benefit Noteboom to be out there.

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