The Los Angeles Rams have several reasons to be optimistic about the 2025 NFL season. After a deeply disappointing 5-12 record after winning Super Bowl LVI, the team has rebounded soundly with two consecutive 10-7 seasons. And much of that success is a result of excellent drafts in both 2023 and 2024. The Rams roster has not only been getting stronger, but deeper as well.
So it comes as no surprise that Pro Football Focus has shown a bit of praise to the Rams roster in a recent 2025 NFL Roster Rankings article. Despite the parting of ways with veteran WR Cooper Kupp and a handful of other key contributors from last season, the writing duo of Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman continues to view the Rams' roster among the NFL's Top-10.
They rank the Rams roster as eighth in the NFL for 2025.
For each team, the duo rated every 32 NFL team's roster in terms of the greatest strength, weakness, rookie to watch, and sole player considered to be the team's X-Factor. But when the PFF article pivoted to the Los Angeles Rams, the duo named third-year offensive lineman Steve Avila as the Rams' X-Factor. And here is what they had to say about Avila:
"After posting a solid 65.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023, left guard Steve Avila saw his 2024 season marred by an early injury. He also lost valuable preseason reps at guard while going through a temporary trial at center. The Rams will need Avila to greatly improve upon his 50.6 PFF pass-blocking grade from last season in order to protect their aging quarterback."Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman
The Rams' offensive line was anything but stable in 2024. The team may not have been under the spotlight over offensive linemen injuries, but the team did suit up and start 12 different offensive linemen. And in the 17 games of 2024, the team only sent out the same five starting offensive linemen for two or more consecutive games three times. The team only managed to start the same five offensive linemen in four consecutive games once.
So the Rams were a bit of a kaleidoscope in terms of offensive line iterations. Still, few NFL analysts refer to the specific players from the offensive line as a wildcard for 2025.
So, it's a very curious insight from a pair who ran the same template for every NFL team. How did they aim so adeptly at Steve Avila? Let's break down the focus on the Rams' starting left guard and try to get a sense of whether or not he will truly rebound in 2025.
2024 introduced a series of OL experiments gone wrong
The Los Angeles Rams never seem to be content in the offseason when it comes to improving the roster. That's not just about plugging holes to restore adequate depth. Nor is it only about aiming to improve in areas that fell short in the previous season. The front office, led by GM Les Snead, tries to improve the roster by upgrading every position.
In 2024, Snead attempted to improve on the offensive line.
The Rams had a deal in place with center Coleman Shelton to cover two years. But the second year of that contract was a player option. When Shelton rejected the offer to return to the Rams in the second year, that set the wheels in motion for a series of offensive line actions that would become a painful but valuable lesson to the Rams' entire football team.
The Rams pivoted from negotiating an extension with Shelton's agent to adding former Detroit Lions left guard Jonah Jackson. But that created problems for the Rams roster, as it meant that LG Steve Avila would need to cross-train in his second season in the NFL to a new role, the center position. That configuration meant that the Rams' training camp offensive line would be:
- LT Alaric Jackson
- LG Jonah Jackson
- C Steve Avila
- RG Kevin Dotson
- RT Rob Havenstein
In theory, there were plenty of bugs to work out. Jonah Jackson had to learn the cadence, chemistry, and communication to align with his new teammates. Steve Avila had to learn a new NFL position and how to set the blocking schemes before snapping the football. That's quite a lot of work for training camp.
But a ceaseless string of injuries began to impact the team in training camp and carried over into much of the 2024 NFL season. Jonah Jackson was injured, delaying his ability to work with the other starters. Steve Avila struggled at the center position. But even the stalwart offensive tackles of Rob Havenstein and Alaric Jackson were injured. All of these factors combined to negate any opportunity to sync up a new offensive line in time for the 2024 season
To open the season, the Rams had to start two backup offensive tackles. Backup left tackle Joe Noteboom only lasted for 27 offensive snaps before he was injured. Third-string offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri had to suit up to finish out the game. Meanwhile, LG Steve Avila fell to injury after 37 offensive snaps. That necessitated the team moving Jonah Jackson to left guard and promoting rookie center Beaux Limmer to a starting role.
Avila would be out for the next seven games. He finally returned to start in Week 10 and would remain (relatively?) healthy for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season. With Avila's injury overlapping the Rams' Week 6 BYE, he found himself away from football for more than two months.
To recap. Avila entered 2024 as the starting left guard. He cross-trained to become the starting center. He was banged up in the offseason, minimizing the number of reps he would get through training camp. He was returned to left guard just before the season started because he simply did not work out at center. He was injured in Week 1. He did not return to start until Week 10.
That about sums up the season that Steve Avila had. Is it any wonder that he regressed?
I'm not about making excuses for the guy. But it's important to understand that the cards were very much stacked against Avila. Can fans truly expect a rebound from Steve Avila in 2025?
Absolutely, yes. Because? Here's why:
Familiar faces await Avila in 2025
When rookie Steve Avila arrived at the Rams in 2023, he was sandwiched between veterans Alaric Jackson at left tackle and Coleman Shelton at center. In 2025, Steve Avila is projected to be sandwiched between veterans Alaric Jackson at left tackle and Coleman Shelton at center. And that is a huge plus for the Rams, because Avila is at his best when he can trust his teammates.
Even as a rookie, Avila was remarkably adept at keeping his head on a swivel and peeling off a neutralized defender to help out a teammate with a defensive lineman who was getting through. It was that willingness to intercede on his teammates' behalf that made him such an important part of the Rams' success in 2023.
With his return to the same configuration, Avila can refocus on his left guard role. He need not overcompensate to help out a rookie center. He needn't help out a backup or third-string offensive tackle. Avila can do what he does best - pancake defenders.
What does this mean for the LA Rams offense in 2025? Well, good things happen to those who wait. With the return of Avila to a familiar role and familiar surroundings, he can be expected to finally reach the next tier of his NFL career. And the Rams offense will benefit from that progress immensely.
Rams veteran right guard Kevin Dotson had a remarkable 2024 season, enjoying an overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 81.3 in the regular season. Nothing is preventing left guard Steve Avila from attaining that same level of proficiency in his third NFL season. While he only finished with an overall grade of 67.1 in 2024, he only played in 10 of the 17 games. He sat out seven games on injured reserve last season.
Avila is a quality offensive lineman who is willing to do whatever the Rams ask of him. The team experimented in 2024 with a number of offensive line changes that never panned out. As Steve Avila returns to his starting left guard role in 2024, look for his career to return to an impressive growth track. Steve Avila may be an X-Factor to some. But he is as close to a sure thing as you will find on this Rams roster.
As always, thanks for reading.
