Joe Noteboom was drafted in 2018 to potentially replace Andrew Whitworth at left tackle. As a college left tackle at TCU, it was only natural for Noteboom to be groomed to protect Jared Goff’s blindside at some point down the line.
But with Rodger Saffold leaving in free agency last year, there was a void at left guard, which the Rams asked Noteboom to fill. He struggled early and continued to have trouble at his new position as the season went on, eventually suffering a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Noteboom is back at left guard in training camp, running with the first-team offense. He seems in line to keep his starting job, feeling much more comfortable at the position than he did last year.
“I definitely feel way better than I did last year. I felt good last year, but it was just kind of the inexperience at guard. That was my first time playing it. I definitely feel way more comfortable there right now,” he said Friday. “I kind of learned, like even when I wasn’t playing I was just watching it over and over again. So, I think it’s guard right now. I’m trying not to think about it if I’ll play anything in the future. Just kind of trying to focus on guard because that’s most likely what I’ll be playing. But definitely feel way more comfortable there than last year.”
Whitworth signed a three-year extension this offseason, and although he may not play out the entire length of it, he will remain the left tackle for at least one more season. That complicates Noteboom’s future a bit if he struggles again in 2020, because there may not be an opening at tackle until 2023 if Whitworth keeps defeating Father Time.
Hopefully for the Rams, Noteboom takes a positive step forward this season and becomes a quality starting guard, bringing some security to the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
