Since early in the offseason, Sean McVay and Mike LaFleur have made it crystal clear that the Los Angeles Rams are going to deploy their best five offensive linemen in Week 1. With the first week of the season right around the corner, McVay believes Joe Noteboom has done enough this offseason to warrant him being one of those top five.
“I think he’s played that way during camp. Again, the interesting thing is to get better at football, you have to be able to play football,” McVay said. “And so we want to be able to find that five and the way that it fits together and it’s hard to be able to see that if we don’t have people out here. And so all we can do is continue to work with the guys that are available. I want to see them continue to take steps in the right direction, but I’ve been super pleased with the camp that Joe has had. I think he’s played outstanding at tackle and guard. When he gets back then we’ll have to figure out, all right, which one of those spots do we want to be able to rep him at? But in the midst of his absence, I’ve been really proud of the guys that have stepped up.”
Noteboom returned to practice for the Rams on Wednesday as the team prepares to hold joint practices with the Denver Broncos ahead of a preseason matchup on Saturday. The sixth-year offensive lineman has been absent from practice recently due to an undisclosed injury or issue that isn’t connected to his season-ending Achilles ailment from last season, according to McVay.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Noteboom received a three-year, $40 million deal in hopes he’d be the long-term replacement for Andrew Whitworth. If practices are any indication of what the Rams intend on doing, Alaric Jackson has usurped Noteboom at left tackle with the former third-round pick recovering from a season-ending injury and his most recent absence.
Throughout training camp, the Rams began giving Noteboom reps at guard, putting him in a competition with Tremayne Anchrum at right guard. So even if Noteboom isn’t starting at left tackle, the Rams are giving him an opportunity to earn another starting spot in the trenches.
While time is ticking for the Rams to decide on who will start along the offensive line, McVay seems confident that Noteboom can start at multiple spots when he’s healthy.
