After investing so heavily in a quarterback last offseason, the Rams made sure to protect him this offseason.
And while new left tackle Andrew Whitworth has seen some good things from Jared Goff so far, he figures to play an even bigger role for the Rams than the obvious.
Whitworth said that in his limited amount of time with Goff, the top pick in last year’s draft, he sees some similar traits to Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton, each of whom have been playoff quarterbacks.
“It’s just getting him to let it out and be confident and be assertive and run the show,” Whitworth said of Goff, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “We all go as far as the quarterback goes and it’s our job to make his job easier.”
But blocking’s not Whitworth’s only job. The 35-year-old tackle can also help 31-year-old head coach Sean McVay as he transitions to his first head coaching position.
“He’s been a great sounding board for me,” McVay said. “Just watching the way he communicates with his teammates. How receptive he is to coach [Aaron] Kromer’s techniques. . . . His presence has definitely been felt on our offense.”
Of course, having Goff on his feet would be a first step, but Whitworth could turn out to be one of the better signings they’ve made simply for the gravity and stability he brings to an offense that has looked comically lost in recent years.