“Changes have to be made. Adjustments have to be made. We can’t continue to go on like this.”
That was a quote from Sean McVay after the Rams’ loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, blowing a 13-9 lead with a minute left in the game. It was a gut-wrenching defeat for the Rams, who are now 3-5 after dropping two straight games after the bye.
Changes do need to be made. The offensive line is atrocious, the pass rush has struggled, the running game is ineffective and every receiver outside of Cooper Kupp has had a minimal impact.
But if the Rams are shaking things up, it’s abundantly clear which change should be made first. Bobby Evans needs to be benched as the starting left guard. Very simply, he’s done nothing to show he should be playing over the likes of Oday Aboushi or Chandler Brewer.
Obviously, he wouldn’t be playing if not for injuries to David Edwards, Coleman Shelton and Tremayne Anchrum Jr., but there has to be a better option at left guard moving forward.
Last week against the 49ers, he allowed a team-high four pressures, two QB hits and one sack. His pass-blocking grade was 15.5, according to PFF. Against the Buccaneers, he gave up three sacks and allowed consistent pressure from Vita Vea, getting completely overmatched by the Bucs’ pass rushers.
"That does not feel good." 😤
📺: #LARvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/D6VEU6m4TY
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 6, 2022
Sure, Vea is a Pro Bowl talent and one of the better nose tackles in the league, but Evans made him look like a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
He just doesn’t have the strength or technique to consistently block interior pass rushers and protect Matthew Stafford. Every quarterback will tell you pressure up the middle is the worst type of pressure, too.
Have a day, @VitaVea 💪
📺: #LARvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/TMQJc6Ahm4
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 6, 2022
This rep against Charles Omenihu was particularly concerning in Week 8, getting completely bowled over and allowing the pressure on Stafford, forcing the ball to come out early.
Charles Omenihu flattened the LG with this bull rush pic.twitter.com/cmssqGq1PZ
— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) October 31, 2022
Shannon Sharpe was watching Rams-Buccaneers on Sunday and he didn’t hold back. He called the left guard “awful” and said he needs a couch because “all he’s doing is watching.”
That’s a bit harsh, but Evans really did struggle painfully in the loss.
Rams LG is AWFUL. He needs a couch all he’s doing is watching
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) November 6, 2022
The problem now is finding a replacement for Evans. If the Rams move Brewer to left guard, that would allow Aboushi to reclaim his role as a starter at right guard. Aboushi was plenty good enough last week against San Francisco, too, allowing zero pressures and recording the second-best pass-blocking grade of any Rams offensive lineman.
The Rams could also try Jeremiah Kolone at guard after previously starting him at center, but that may not be the best option, either.
Regardless of what Sean McVay and Kevin Carberry decide, the Rams need to find a new left guard.
