Today the Rams solved a major issue along the offensive line after signing veteran center John Sullivan to an as yet undisclosed deal. Sullivan instantly makes the Rams line better just by virtue of his experience and his relationship with Rams coach Sean McVay. Sullivan has a great pedigree having played for the Vikings from ’09-’14 and only missed three starts. He later would serve as the backup center in Washington under McVay. In the short term the signing has potential risk seeing as how Sullivan missed the entire 2015 season with back issues.
Back issues don’t exactly go away and while its alarmist to say he’s done, its still something to keep an eye on. Sullivan turns 32 in August so while this is a major coup for the Rams, it shouldn’t signal that the line is all patched up going into the draft. Yes, if he can return to form he should instantly make the line a million times better that it was last year which will make everything else instantly better since Gurley and Dunbar will have an easier time gaining yards and Goff will have a chance to make throws.
The problem is that like the Andrew Whitworth signing last month, Sullivan is merely a band-aid. Both will likely be great assets this season but beyond that, the Rams have to make sure they evaluate the young talent they have and the talent that’s in the draft. Sure, Whitworth and Sullivan mean the Rams don’t have to worry about the line with their 2nd round pick or even their third but if a talented lineman should be there in the third round they shouldn’t hesitate to take them. After all, beyond Whithworth and Sullivan they don’t have a whole lot of depth.
Greg Robinson’s struggles have been well documented and his move to guard is a gambit that no one is sure will pay off. Lest we forget, Robinson was drafted with the 2nd overall pick instead of Khalil Mack, Mike Evans, Anthony Barr, etc. Robinson is entering a contact year and it stands to reason that if he struggles at guard the Rams will let him walk. The drop off after Robinson is even steeper as the Rams have a hodgepodge of young players along the line none of which have established themselves as starters.
Luckily the Draft features a bevy of talent so even if the Rams opt for a receiver or corner with pick 37, round three will still have players worth taking on the offensive line and in later rounds players such as Pat Elflien will still be there as well. It is with great hope that Les Snead doesn’t look at the Sullivan signing and consider the line solved. Sullivan will likely stick around a few years but Whitworth is 35 and he might only be a productive player for one year before either being released or becoming a back up.
Aaron Kromer was hired to whip the line into shape and at the very least this season will be all about evaluating just what the team has in their young group of lineman. Who knows, maybe their is a diamond in the rough and maybe their development was thwarted by Jeff Fisher’s staff. That’s entirely possible but not certain. If the Rams do find themselves staring at a Forrest Lamp, Dan Feeney, Mike McGlinchley, or a Connor McDermott than they should probably take them over a receiver. There are a lot of receivers in the draft as well as defensive backs so if they waited to take one of those in round three it wouldn’t hurt.
The fact of the matter is that the Rams had one of the worst offensive lines (if not the worst) in the league and have had a bad line for almost ten years. They struck out both with Jason Smith and Greg Robinson in the draft and signing Jake Long was a catastrophe. This season’s veteran signings were both sound decision but at no point does this indicate that for Goff, Gurley, and the rest of the offense that it’ll be smooth sailing. Yes, the priority in the draft is finding Goff weapons but if there isn’t a great option in round two they should consider bolstering the line because Goff needs all the blocking he can get.
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