The 2024 campaign hasn't even gotten underway yet, but the Los Angeles Rams, particularly their offensive line, have already gotten hit hard by the injury bug. Alaric Jackson, Rob Havenstein, and Jonah Jackson have all already suffered injuries early on in training camp, which is pretty notable considering they are projected to be three of the team's five starters on the offensive line.
While it remains to be seen how serious injuries are, it's clear that Los Angeles' depth on the o-line is going to be tested almost immediately. Unsurprisingly, the front office moved to shore up their depth, as they are closing in on signing former New England Patriots tackle Conor McDermott to come in and help them out on the line.
Rams hoping Conor McDermott can help solve offensive line issues
The good news for the Rams is that there is still a lot of time until the 2024 season officially gets underway, but it's not all that encouraging to see so many of their starters on the offensive line getting injured so early in training camp. While McDermott isn't exactly a star offensive lineman, he can certainly hold his own, which is really all you are going to be able to find when it comes to guys who are still on the free agent market currently.
McDermott played in six games for the Patriots last season, five of which he ended up starting. He wasn't all that impressive when he was on the field, though, which is largely why the team opted not to re-sign him this offseason. Prior to his stop in New England, McDermott had spent time with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
Considering how he played his college football with UCLA, this is a bit of a homecoming for McDermott. He's played tackle his entire career, so with both of the Rams starting tackles out for the time being, McDermott will pretty quickly find himself taking snaps for Los Angeles, with the hope being that he can emerge as a solid depth option who can back up Alaric Jackson and Havenstein once their return.
This isn't really a move that the Rams would have liked to make so early in training camp, but sometimes, you have to adapt quickly, and that is what they have done by bringing McDermott on board. In an ideal world, he doesn't play a snap for Los Angeles because their starters are healthy, but in the event that doesn't happen, the offensive line now has an added layer of depth in the veteran tackle thanks to this quick move.
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