The Los Angeles Rams offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL to start the 2025 season, especially when it comes to pass-blocking. Every week, Ben Baldwin shares a pass protection ratings chart that ranks each offensive line in the NFL based on their composite scores from different analytics outlets. After Week 3, the Rams rank 31 out of 32 teams and are only ahead of the Cleveland Browns.
Throughout the Les Snead era, the Rams haven’t been afraid to make moves on the offensive line when it’s been needed. In 2023, they traded for Kevin Dotson before the season because of concerns regarding Joseph Noteboom. After managing offensive line injuries in 2019, Snead made the move to trade for Austin Corbett.
Dotson has since become one of the best offensive linemen for the Rams while Corbett played a crucial role during the Super Bowl run at right guard in 2021.
Still, it seems unlikely that the Rams would make a move on the offensive line at this point. Despite the struggles of Beaux Limmer, Justin Dedich, and Coleman Shelton, the Rams have only had their full starting offensive line for 16 snaps this season. If the Rams had a long-term injury on the offensive line, it might make sense.
However, Steve Avila should be back over the next week or two while Kevin Dotson has managed to play through his ankle injury. It’s worth waiting to see what the Rams have when their starting five on the offensive line is fully healthy and allowed time to gel.
Outside of that though, quality offensive line play, let alone depth can be hard to find. It’s even harder to find that during the season. Even if a player isn’t good enough to start, most teams at least keep a known commodity in the building for depth reason. In the cases of Dotson and Corbett, the Rams were able to take advantage of players who had fallen out of favor completely with their teams.
While Shaq Mason is available as a free agent, he’s not going to join a team to be a depth piece. If an offensive lineman is still available, there’s usually a reason why or that player is looking for the right situation.
The fact of the matter is, right now, there simply aren’t that many options or better options available than what the Rams are looking at. This isn’t a situation in which a starter on the Rams offensive line is struggling or will be out for a prolonged period of time. They simply haven’t been healthy over the last two weeks. It’s hard to justify giving up draft capital for a player who would very likely just be depth.
When it comes to players who are set to become free agents in 2026, there’s not a player that stands out who would be worth acquiring via trade. The options are also limited when it comes to recently drafted players. With that said, if there is one player to watch, it’s Jackson Powers-Johnson from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Powers-Johnson started in Week 1, but then was out in Week 2 with a concussion. The second-year player was benched in Week 3 in favor of Alex Cappa. Raiders coach Pete Carroll was asked whether or not Powers-Johnson would return to the lineup at center. Said Carroll,
“Absolutely not. We’ve invested a lot of time with these guys playing in their spots. I know you’re interested in JPJ…he’s ready to compete for playing time, and he and Alex will be going at it, so it’s a good situation in that regard.”
It only makes sense for the Rams to make a move for Powers-Johnson if they believe that there is a potential future with the player. Again, it’s hard to justify giving up draft capital for a player that’s not going to have a regular impact on the field.
Coming into the season, the Rams seemed confident in Beaux Limmer potentially being the future at center. After the first three weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if that confidence has slightly wavered. That’s especially the case when it comes to Limmer as a depth piece. Despite having over 2000 snaps at guard at Arkansas, he’s struggled at that spot with the Rams. If Limmer lacks guard versatility, it’s fair to question his value as a depth player.
Powers-Johnson has not been a fit with the current Raiders regime and does bring that versatility. He played over 400 snaps at both left guard and center as a rookie. While Powers-Johnson may be depth now, he’s someone that could be developed to be the team’s future center. At the very least, he gives the Rams some size inside at 328 pounds. Snead and the Rams front office have a history of taking chances on players who have fallen out of favor and made them starters. A recent example has been cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.
A trade for a depth piece seems unlikely, especially if it means giving up draft capital. The options are certainly limited. However, if the Raiders are ready to just move on from a player who isn’t working and remove the headache from the media, Powers-Johnson may be a good option to consider.
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