Add The California Post on Google The Rams spent the offseason constructing a roster without many obvious weaknesses.
Their biggest one may be standing directly in front of Matthew Stafford — and it is one of the few areas Los Angeles largely left alone while upgrading almost everything around it.
The Rams return all five starters from an offensive line that helped the reigning NFL MVP produce a career season. The group was one of the quieter reasons Los Angeles finished with the league’s highest-scoring offense and Stafford survived a full season despite managing a troublesome back.
But while the Rams poured resources elsewhere — most notably with their blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett — offensive-line depth received considerably less attention.
The Athletic’s Nate Atkins identified that neglected area as perhaps the biggest concern surrounding an otherwise loaded roster.
“I do think it’s gotten concerning here because not only did they not really add to that in the offseason, but I’d say their top two backups are the guys who they just put on injured reserve,” Atkins said during an appearance on “NFL Spotlight.”
Those backups are rookie tackle Keagen Trost and interior lineman Justin Dedich, who will miss at least the opening four games.
That leaves 36-year-old David Quessenberry as the primary swing tackle. Quessenberry has barely played over the past two seasons and has not started a regular-season game since 2023.
The Rams’ second-team offensive line also struggled with pressure during joint practices against the Cowboys and Saints, yet Los Angeles made no major late push to add a proven veteran tackle.
The lack of insurance could become even more problematic at left tackle.
Alaric Jackson remains under NFL review and could face discipline following his June arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Prosecutors later declined to pursue felony charges, but potential NFL discipline is a separate matter.
Jackson previously served a two-game suspension in 2024, making another absence particularly significant with Trost unavailable.
Sean McVay has expressed confidence in the depth behind his starters.
“They must be seeing more than what I’ve been able to see,” he said.
The stakes are amplified by the quarterback they’re protecting.
Stafford enters his 18th season at 38 while managing a degenerative back condition. He is coming off 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, but he is firmly a pocket passer at this stage of his career. Stafford has rushed just 10 times over the past two seasons.
And while his back is in a better place than it was last summer, Atkins noted the problem hasn’t simply disappeared.
“You don’t talk to many people who say, ‘I used to have back issues,’” Atkins said.
That makes the Rams’ decision not to aggressively reinforce the offensive line a potentially significant gamble.
“If you have an offensive line injury that leads to a Matthew Stafford injury,” Atkins said, “that to me is like the one way that this super talented team could see things just kind of fall apart a little bit.”
The Rams spent the offseason eliminating weaknesses.
The one they largely neglected may be protecting the player they can least afford to lose.
