The Rams had recently signed undrafted defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne. But quickly thereafter, the team pivoted to the offensive side of the football, and bolstered the teams depth at offensive tackle.
For many, the question is not why? For many Rams fans, that question is, why so late?
It's a legitimate question, and one that may not come with a simple or easy answer. After all, the root of concern over the Rams offensive line in 2025 began as early as training camp in 2024. It was a year ago that found the Rams attempting to reconfigure the offensive line, moving second-year interior offensive lineman Steve Avila to center while installing former Detroit Lions interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson in at left guard.
That didn't work, but the Rams invested a lot of time throughout training camp and preseason for nothing. By Week 1, the Rams had to face the Detroit Lions on the road without either starting offensive tackle. By mid-game, the team had to replace an injured starting center as well as an injured backup left tackle.
Those painful experiences of having to swap out so many offensive linemen so quickly in the season tend to stick with a front office.
How have the Rams addressed the offensive line so far this offseason?
You might be a bit shocked to learn that, as far as the team's moves this offseason, relatively nothing has been done to reinforce the roster along the offensive line. The team did manage to lock in veteran starting left tackle Alaric Jackson to a multi-year deal. And the team did re-sign former starting center Coleman Shelton to compete for (and likely win) the starting center job for 2025.
The team also extended reserve center Dylan McMahon. But the team traded away IOL Jonah Jackson, while not extending either OT Joe Noteboom or Conor McDermott. That worked out to a net loss of two offensive linemen, and both from the team's offensive tackle position. That was a curious strategy, particularly in light of the Rams opening Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season without either starting offensive tackle.
As much as the focus for fans has been on finding a successor for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, some astute fans entered the offseason even more alarmed over the lack of a succession plan for veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein. While the team has secured Stafford's backup with veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo, the team has not made similar efforts to acquire a logical backup to Havenstein. And the truth is, Havenstein's durability in the past two seasons has posed significant problems for the team.
Havenstein suited up for 14 games in 2023. He was only able to suit up for 11 games in 2024.
Rams did sign undrafted rookies to reinforce the OL
It's not as though the Rams front office has fallen asleep at the wheel. The team continues to slide in rookie offensive linemen during and after the annual NFL Draft to bolster the depth and talent needed to replenish the ranks. But the talent pipeline was clogged in 2024.
The Rams did draft OT A.J. Arcuri in Round 7 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Likewise, the team followed that up by drafting IOL Steve Avila in Round 2 and OT Warren McClendon in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. The following year, the team drafted IOL Beaux Limmer in Round 6 and OT K.T. Leveston in Round 7 of the 2024 NFL Draft. After the 2024 NFL Draft, the team signed collegiate free agent IOL Justin Dedich while signing IOL Dylan McMahon off the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad.
This year, the team signed undrafted collegiate free agents IOL Willie Lampkin, Wyatt Bowles, and Ben Dooley, while also inking UDFA OT Trey Wedig. While undrafted rookies, the Rams roster has opportunities for offensive linemen to earn roster spots this year.
The Rams were forced to promote backups into starting roles last season, perhaps more quickly than the coaching staff might have preferred. As a result, former starting rookie center Beaux Limmer is likely to be backup to veteran Coleman Shelton this season. And it was the onslaught of injuries that kept rookie offensive tackle K.T. Leveston on IR throughout his entire rookie season
And unless he shows up vastly improved in training camp this year, OT A.J. Arcuri is not proficient enough to step in as a starter in case of injury.
While there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of undrafted rookie OT Trey Wedig, it would be foolish to view him as a plug-and-play backup who can take over in Week 1. That limits the Rams working depth chart for the early going in 2025 down to starting offensive tackles Alaric Jackson, Rob Havenstein, and backup offensive tackle Warren McClendon Jr
Finally, the Rams front office did add veteran offensive tackle David Quessenberry in late May 2025.
The Rams depth chart needs an additional veteran offensive tackle in 2025 who can start in case of injury. So, the team signed an experienced veteran named DJ Humphries.
Didn't DJ Humphries sign with the San Francisco 49ers in April?
It was clear that the San Francisco 49ers were trying to juggle a lot of roster moves simultaneously, and the granddaddy of them all was the extension for quarterback Brock Purdy. At the same time, the 49ers front office was preparing for an announcement from LT Trent Williams that he had decided to retire. That announcement never came.
In the meantime, the 49ers brass and OT D.J. Humphries had hammered out a deal that satisfied both parties. But in the midst of the contract negotiations with Purdy, the Humphries signing never came to pass.
Back healthy and ready to work 😤 #AMDG pic.twitter.com/Q9YjMANO5X
— AMDG Sports (@SportsAmdg) April 29, 2025
Was Humphries the next starting left tackle for the 49ers, and the news that Williams was returning derailed his addition to the team? Or did the 49ers need to vacate the unsigned contract because the funds used to entice Humphries to the 49ers roster was spent on the quarterback? In either case, the 49ers settled for a vary suspect veteran OT Andre Dillard, and Humphries remained a free agent.
Why sign veteran OT DJ Humphries now?
The Rams have emerged from OTAs and are enroute to mini-camp slated for Maui, Hawaii. While the team has any number of spots that could have been addressed with additional reinforcements, it is worth noting that the Rams have now signed two respectable, if not serviceable, veteran offensive tackles to the team over the span of two weeks time.
The Rams may have been delighted to retain Alaric Jackson at left tackle, but the team knows full well how badly this offensive line struggled when either starting offensive tackle was out. If the Rams had found their primary backup right tackle in veteran David Quessenberry, the team still had to face the reality that the primary backup at left tackle was Warren McClendon Jr.
Now, that has all changed, instantly.
The #Rams reached agreement on a deal with former longtime #Cardinals OT DJ Humphries, who spent the end of last season with the #Chiefs, per @SportsAmdg.
Humphries was supposed to sign with the 49ers in late April but the deal was never finalized. pic.twitter.com/9TgAfqPVF7— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 12, 2025
What does this do to the Rams offensive line depth chart? So glad that you asked:
- LT - Alaric Jackson, DJ Humphries, AJ Arcuri
- LG - Steve Avila, Justin Dedich, Wyatt Bowles
- C - Coleman Shelton, Beaux LImmer, Dylan McMahon, Willie Lampkin
- RG - Kevin Dotson, KT Leveston, Ben Dooley
- RT - Rob Havenstein, David Quessenberry, Warren McClendon Jr., Trey Wedig
The Rams starting five are solid, but even more impressive are the team's projected backups. At every offensive line position, the Rams appear to boast a player who has solid experience at starting at that position. Of course, players who are not projected as primary backups and are not rookies suddenly find themselves perched on a roster bubble.
DJ Humphries has been a long-term starter for the Arizona Cardinals, who was forced to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs after suffering an ACL injury with the Cardinals near the end of the 2023 NFL season. He signed as a late-season reinforcement with the Chiefs in 2024. Humphries was originally drafted by the Cardinals in Round 1 of the 2015 NFL Draft, and was their starting left tackle through 2023.
Now, he is a backup left tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. If you needed proof that the Rams are serious about protecting QB Matthew Stafford, you just got it.
Quite frankly, he is good. He is so good that I'm not ruling out stiff competition for the starting role at left tackle.
As always, thanks for reading.
-1749346741-q80.webp "It took Drew Lock only one week in OTAs to prove Seahawks were right")
