Sports
Andrew Whitworth Agrees to Re-Sign with Rams on 3-Year Contract
Rick Scuteri/Associated PressAndrew Whitworth is returning to the Los Angeles Rams after agreeing to a three-year deal, his agency announced per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.Salary details are not yet available. Whitworth is a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, and he entered 2019 still considered among the top tackles in the NFL.Pro Football Focus ranked him fourth…
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Andrew Whitworth is returning to the Los Angeles Rams after agreeing to a three-year deal, his agency announced per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Salary details are not yet available.
Whitworth is a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, and he entered 2019 still considered among the top tackles in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus ranked him fourth at the position last July:
“Whitworth's best may be behind him as he enters the 2019 season at 37 years old, but the longtime stalwart—even in decline—is still one of the best offensive tackles in the game. He earned an impressive 86.1 overall grade while also logging 88.5 and 78.4 pass-blocking and run-blocking grades, respectively, with the Rams in 2018.”
In general, the offensive line was a big problem for the Rams this past season, and Whitworth deserves some share of the blame.
According to Football Outsiders, Los Angeles was 20th in adjusted line yards on plays to the left end (3.74) and left tackle (4.05).
ESPN's Seth Walder also shared a graph indicating the Rams used a lot of double teams to support Whitworth:
Seth Walder @SethWalder
Double-team rate when at left tackle (x) by pass block win rate when at left tackle (y).
Top left = less double team help, higher win rate.
PBWR = how often each player sustains pass blocks for at least 2.5s.
ESPN stats, NFL Next Gen Stats data. https://t.co/AjUtVUaOKH
Still, he continued to play at a high level when factoring in his age. His 94 percent pass block win rate was second only to David Bakhtiari at offensive tackle, per ESPN.com.
Upon the conclusion of the regular season, Whitworth indicated he preferred a return to Los Angeles.
“Obviously, anytime you're a free agent, you've got to listen to everything and figure out what's best for you,” he told reporters. “But of course, for me and my family, being a Ram would be No. 1, without question.”
Re-signing Whitworth makes sense for the Rams, who are in win-now mode.
Los Angeles likely envisioned 2018 third-round pick Joe Noteboom succeeding Whitworth at left tackle for the 2020 season. However, Noteboom suffered a torn right ACL and MCL in October.
That injury robbed Noteboom of valuable development time and might affect his preseason preparations. Rather than counting on the 24-year-old to play the most important position on the line—or moving somebody over to left tackle—bringing Whitworth back on a short-term deal was the Rams' best option.
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