St. Louis Rams: New Faces Could Bring Balance to Line

Aug 8, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Greg Robinson (79) defends against New Orleans Saints defensive end Glenn Foster (97) during the first half at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams used the 2014 season to revamp and upgrade the left side of their offensive line by selecting Greg Robinson with the second overall selection in the NFL Draft and moving versatile Rodger Saffold to left guard. With their blind side protectors in place, the Rams have turned their focus to improving the right side of their offensive line in 2015 in hopes of bringing some much-needed balance to the rest of this unit.

The team’s apparent plan is to bolster the right side of the line with massive, powerful linemen that could help the team establish a more fearsome ground attack designed to keep opposing offenses off the field. This was made apparent when they not only signed free agent guard Garrett Reynolds away from the Detroit Lions while drafting University of Wisconsin tackle Rob Havenstein in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft.

St. Louis Rams tackle Rob Havenstein (79) looks on during rookie minicamp at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The pair of 6′ 7″ offensive linemen will help an offensive line that allowed 47 sacks in 2014, tied for the eight-most in the NFL. They also allowed the 10th-most quarterback hits in the NFL with 93. St. Louis would finish this past season ranked 26th in the league in rushing attempts and just 20th in the NFL in yards gained on the ground. Is there any doubt why general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher also opted to grab University of Georgia running back with the 10th overall selection on April 30.

Back to the new men up front. Adding both Reynolds and Havenstein brings some toughness to the Rams offensive line, a much-needed for all clubs in the rugged NFC West. Havenstein was the premier player on a Wisconsin offensive line that cleared the way for running back Melvin Gordon, the San Diego Chargers first-round pick this year, to rush for 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. The Wisconsin offensive line only allowed 13 sacks in 14 games during the 2014 season, again showing the potential improvements along the line with Havenstein in the lineup.

Combine Havenstein’s skill set with Reynolds’ 52 career games and 27 career starts, and it is an immediate upgrade from tackle Joe Barksdale, guard Davin Joseph and others that played the right side of the line for the Rams this past season.

With the two in place, St. Louis offensive line becomes a big, young and aggressive front. The starting line could potentially be (left to right) Robinson, Saffold, center Tim Barnes, Reynolds and Havenstein. This group has nobody listed under 6’4″ and nobody weighing less than 305 pounds.

With the balanced line, quarterback and running back of the future in place in Gurley, the Rams could be poised to make a run in the very tough NFC West. As we know, that’s easier said than done against the likes of the defenses featuring the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, all three among the most physical teams in the league.

And with a new look in the trenches, perhaps this is the season that Fisher and company make some significant noise not only in the division but the league as well.

Next: St. Louis Rams: 5 Key Stats

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