After two years of starting mostly the same offensive line up front, the Los Angeles Rams made several changes to the unit in 2019. Out were John Sullivan and Rodger Saffold, and in came Brian Allen and Joseph Noteboom at center and left guard, respectively.
That plan went awry when both players suffered season-ending injuries. Rookie David Edwards, who only played tackle in college, was then asked to step in at left guard in place of Noteboom. Not long thereafter, Austin Blythe slid over from right guard to center, which caused Edwards to switch from left guard to right guard.
For a guy who only played tackle at Wisconsin, this wasn’t how he expected his rookie season to go. In a Q&A for the team’s official site, Edwards was asked how he would describe his first year in the NFL.
“In one word? Crazy. I came in and started cross-training in different positions. That was totally new to me,” he said. “And then when Joe Noteboom got hurt, I got thrown in at left guard and never expected I would start games at guard, because I never played the position before. And then got moved to right guard. Just all the different things I did this year I never would have thought I could have done. So, it was cool. Looking back, if you had told me, preseason, you’re going to start games at guard, I’d have said no way. I’d never played it before. It was just really cool to be cross-training when I got here in OTAs and then see the work that I put in come to fruition. It was cool.”
Edwards said he’s “excited to be able to have an offseason at guard, learn that position,” which is interesting considering there isn’t much clarity on where he (or many of the Rams’ offensive linemen) will play in 2020.
It’s possible Edwards will remain at guard, or if the team makes changes at either tackle spot, he could kick back outside to his original position.
