One of the first moves the Rams made this offseason was re-signing Austin Blythe. It wasn’t a marquee signing or one that will drastically change the Rams’ roster, but it was a move that quietly helps the offensive line.
His deal was made official this week as the terms of it came out, paying him $3.9 million for one year with $3.5 million of that guaranteed. It’s unclear what Blythe’s market was like, but he’s happy to be back with the Rams for another season.
“I had a hard time thinking about starting over,” Blythe said on a conference call, via the team’s site. “So to have an offer that was a good offer to return to play for the Rams and Coach Sean McVay, Aaron Kromer, all those guys in the organization, was a relieving feeling.”
Blythe’s best asset is his versatility. He played guard and center for the Rams last season, performing better at the latter after Brian Allen went down with a season-ending knee injury. Blythe will most likely compete at both positions again in 2020, but the Rams haven’t said where he fits best or where they see him lining up.
He’s open to playing either spot, but he seems to prefer center because of his comfortability at that position.
“It was an easy transition,” Blythe said. “(Playing the center position) was kind of going back to my bread-and-butter, I would say. I think I’ve felt really comfortable in all three positions on the interior of the o-line, but playing center is like riding a bike. I welcomed it a little bit. Unfortunately Brian did get hurt, and luckily he’s going to be back with us and we’re going to have a lot of depth and a lot of things to figure out.”
Allen will likely get a chance to reclaim his starting spot at center again next season, with the same going for Joseph Noteboom at left guard. However, Sean McVay indicated that neither player will be on the field until training camp, which puts them behind the eight ball.
It’s possible the Rams will roll out the same offensive line that they finished the 2019 season with (from left to right): Andrew Whitworth, Austin Corbett, Blythe, David Edwards and Bobby Evans. Given his $3.9 million contract, it’s likely Blythe will start somewhere. It’s just a matter of which position.
