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After bringing back the dynamic duo of Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson in an ugly effort on Monday Night Football, losing the game 15-12 while the offense looked anemic, the Los Angeles Rams made a big change in Week 11 against the New England Patriots, returning rookie Beaux Limmer to the starting lineup at center.
Now, for fans of the Rams, this was a very popular decision, as LA has seemingly found themselves with three guards once Avila lost the center spot over the summer. While the Rams tried to save face and move Jackson to the position, the Ohio State product doesn't look particularly good at that position either, as Limmer has seemingly lapped him despite 216 players being drafted before him back in April.
Is Limmer that good? Or is Jackson that bad? Well, reporters wanted to know the answer to that very question as well after the Rams' win over the Patriots, and Sean McVay was willing to weigh in on the play of his Arkansas-educated ball snapper, who has impressed so far this season.
“What he's done is he's gotten better. He's gotten a lot of opportunities to improve in these game settings and in these practice settings. We had so many injuries that started out in training camp and even throughout the offseason, that he had a lot of opportunities that otherwise wouldn't necessarily be allotted to a guy in terms of what you said his projected role might be. He's just answered the bell, and he's continuing to learn,” McVay told reporters.
“There’s a lot of communication that's required at that spot. I think he has a big-picture understanding, and the game makes sense to him. I think he's continuing to improve in his ownership and his command to be able to communicate, but the game does make sense. He's sturdy in his lower half, he's strong where he can create removal at the point of attack, and I think he's done a really nice job in protection. Even if a guy gets on an edge, I've been pleased with his competitiveness. He has a good way about himself and he's just continuing to improve. That's what you look for, and I thought he provided some good stability to our line yesterday, and I thought it was a much better performance.”
While Limmer is much less experienced than Jackson, Avila, or Kevin Dotson, who has been an absolute rock in 2024 at right guard, his skills do look tailor-made to play center more so than any other player who has seen action for LA this season. If Limmer continues to play, he will only get more comfortable with the players around him, which, in the opinion of McVay, is how an offensive line really comes together.
Sean McVay wants to see the Rams offensive line form a cohesive unit
Continuing his comments on Limmer's emergence and the Rams offensive line as a whole, McVay noted that it's never about just one player but instead five men coming together to form a cohesive unit. If Limmer is the guy, his growth alongside Avila and Dotson will only make the Rams better long-term.
“It's always about the group. The one thing is it's not about individual operating entity entities. These are five guys that have to work in concert together, especially as it relates to center-guard, guard-tackle, and across-the-board based on certain things that come up,” McVay told reporters. “I thought he steadied it, and I thought he did a nice job yesterday, especially against a defense that presents a lot of different things that you have to prepare for, whether that's personnel groupings, front structures, and pressure packages. They're always a good challenge to prepare for. I thought he handled it well with a lot of different moving parts.”
Unfortunately for the Rams, they've had almost no real continuity on the offensive line, with their personnel seemingly changing weekly due to a series of injuries, suspensions, and strategic decisions. When Rob Havenstein eventually returns at right tackle, who knows, maybe the unit of Alaric Jackson, Avila, Limmer, Dotson, and Havenstein will be able to lock things down on the way to the playoffs, even if that leaves some uncomfortable questions to ask about Jackson's future in LA.
