LOS ANGELES — Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein will be week-to-week with an ankle injury, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said after Saturday’s practice.
Havenstein, who left practice Thursday, is the third starter now missing from the offensive line because of injury. Left tackle Alaric Jackson was also downgraded by McVay from “day to day” to “week to week” with an ankle injury, and left guard Jonah Jackson is also week to week with a shoulder injury.
McVay clarified that he did not expect Havenstein’s injury to be season-ending. While there is no set timeline for any of their return, team sources seemed optimistic that none of these starters would miss significant time into the regular season (though could miss some).
“Sixth man” offensive lineman Joe Noteboom can and has been playing left tackle in Alaric Jackson’s place, while multiple players have rotated at left guard and right tackle. Warren McClendon will get snaps at right tackle when the Rams have joint practice against the Chargers in El Segundo, Calif., on Sunday morning. Noteboom could eventually move to left guard or right tackle, depending on the injury timelines for the regular starters.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
“We’re gonna learn about some guys,” said McVay, “it’s a rolodex of guys in there right now even with that first group. I think it’s only going to force those guys to mature and accelerate their learning process.”
The Rams invested heavily into their offensive line in free agency this spring, placing Alaric Jackson on a one-year tender (he is a former undrafted free agent so was eligible) and signing guards Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson to three-year deals.
They also moved second-year lineman Steve Avila from left guard to center. Avila played some center in college at TCU, but has spent the entire spring and summer to this point building chemistry with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, and has not moved from his new role.
Where the coaching staff may not have previously considered switching Avila back to guard, after yet another injury update on Saturday, McVay sounded more open to the possibility.
“I think what we have to be able to plan for are some of the unforeseen things,” he said, “God forbid if — whether it’s a Kevin Dotson, or however long Jonah is out — if we deem that whoever can plug in at center gives us a better opportunity for (Avila) to play at guard, then that’s what we will do. We will find the best five.
“He has gotten a bunch of reps (at center). I think he understands, there’s a lot of nuances to playing that spot — but there’s a lot of nuances to playing the left guard spot as well. I think we want to be able to pick and choose. We want to keep him at center, but if we have to move him to guard that’s not something we’re afraid to do, either.”
Required reading
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
