How Aaron Kromer’s departure could impact Rams’ offensive line

Just when it seemed like the coaching departures might have ended for the Los Angeles Rams, another came to light on Thursday. It was reported by the Los Angeles Times that Aaron Kromer is no longer on Sean McVay’s coaching staff and he’s since been removed from the team’s website, all but confirming his exit.

Kromer is the seventh coaching assistant to leave the Rams this offseason, and next to Brandon Staley, he’s undoubtedly the biggest loss for L.A. As the run game coordinator and offensive line coach, Kromer played a big role on offense for the Rams – and has been at the forefront of their rebuild along the O-line.

Before he arrived in 2017, the Rams had one of the worst offensive lines in football. Since then, it’s improved significantly, even despite a down year in 2019. Andrew Whitworth has prolonged his career with stellar play, Austin Corbett has turned into a gem of a trade acquisition, Rob Havenstein is a stud at right tackle and several other young players have stepped up.

With Kromer on his way out, how does this impact the offensive line? For starters, it could affect the way the Rams cross-train their big men up front.

Kromer is a big proponent of developing players at multiple positions along the offensive line. Joe Noteboom has played guard and tackle. David Edwards was exclusively a right tackle in college but has moved to guard. Austin Blythe and Corbett have moved around on the interior, and Bobby Evans has practiced at both tackle spots and suited up at guard.

With Kromer leaving, it stands to reason that maybe the Rams won’t move their offensive linemen around quite as much. Edwards could lock in as a left guard, Noteboom could develop exclusively as a left tackle and Evans might be viewed by the next offensive line coach as a better tackle than guard.

This is all just speculation right now, but few coaches move their offensive linemen around as much as Kromer does, and whoever the Rams hire to replace him could have a different philosophy of developing players.

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The other question that must be asked is how Kromer’s exit might affect the Rams’ offseason plans at left tackle, center and right tackle. Whitworth has said he wants to return to the Rams, and the team has said it wants him back – though there are still hurdles to get through. It’s unlikely that Kromer’s departure will sway Whitworth’s opinion and cause him to retire, but might the Rams’ new offensive line coach have a say in who plays left tackle next season?

At center, Blythe will be a free agent. Kromer helped develop him into a starter at both guard and center, most recently playing fairly well at the latter position in 2020. He was steady but not outstanding, and the next O-line coach might see more weaknesses in Blythe’s game than Kromer did.

And then at right tackle, Havenstein is almost certain to be back. But if the Rams are desperate for cap space, they could opt to cut or trade him this offseason. Again, it’s unlikely to happen, but with Kromer gone, his replacement might share his input on who should start at right tackle – specifically, if he likes Evans or Edwards at that spot, Havenstein could be a cap casualty.

These are all questions to consider as the Rams undergo changes on their coaching staff. In addition to Kromer, assistant OL coach Andy Dickerson also left this winter, so there are multiple voids to fill now.

List

Here are the 9 coaches and executives who left the Rams this offseason