By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

For the better part of the days of the Greatest Show on Turf, one of the backbones of the Rams has been the interior of the offensive line. Through contract stalemates and holdouts, injuries and turmoil, at the end of the day guards Adam Timmerman and Tom Nütten and center Andy McCollum have almost always been a trio to be relied upon.

Now, with a new coaching staff in place and the years of experience piling up, those days seem headed for an end in the near future. Nütten is a free agent and isn’t expected to play again after fighting through a series of injuries during his comeback of the past two seasons.

Timmerman and McCollum have been the quintessential warriors for the Rams and, while the Doughnut Bros. still have some gas left in the tank, the needle is closer to empty than full.

Timmerman started all 16 games at right guard last season after a difficult offseason in which he underwent myriad surgeries and was unable to work out as much or as hard as he would have liked. Without the type of strength and quickness to the next level that he once possessed, Timmerman bounced in and out of the lineup during a stretch as he shared time with rookie Claude Terrell in the first game against Seattle.

Still, Timmerman managed to extend his impressive streak of games played to 173 and is healthier heading into the offseason than he was last year. That should allow Timmerman to get the type of workouts in that will allow him to be at full strength when camp begins in July.

McCollum, on the other hand, was not so fortunate with his end of the season health. After some minor surgeries, the center and anchor of the line will have some rehab to do to get in the shape he would like in time for camp.

Although it appears McCollum and Timmerman will once again man their positions on the line, it is clear that the Rams are going to begin looking to the future. That movement began in last year’s draft when the team selected Terrell in the fourth round and Richie Incognito in the third.

Terrell made an immediate impact, playing in 11 games and claiming the starting left guard job midway through the season. While Terrell was an effective run blocker, his inability to move well in space hurt him in pass protection.

At 343 pounds, the Rams would have preferred Terrell come to the offseason workouts in better shape than he did, but he still has time to get in the condition the team would like. Regardless, Terrell has the inside track on the starting left guard job for next season.

Incognito, meanwhile, has had no such conditioning problems. He arrived at offseason workouts in outstanding shape, with a noticeable weight loss that had him checking in around 295 pounds.

Incognito was originally slated to work at center under the former coaching staff, but he is going to get repetitions at center and guard and will likely be given an opportunity to compete for a starting job. There’s no doubting Incognito’s immense talent, but it’s important to remember that he hasn’t played football in over two years.

Behind that group of players is another list of guys with potential to contribute. Blaine Saipaia, who has been the ultimate utility player on the line the past few years will finally get his chance to work at guard, a position many believe is his best fit.

Ben Noll and Larry Turner also have potential upside that could be developed. Despite the presence of all of those players, there is a good chance the Rams will look to add another interior lineman at some point in this year’s draft.

The top guards in the draft include Oklahoma’s Davin Joseph, Georgia’s Max Jean-Gilles and USC’s Fred Matua and Deuce Lutui. The top centers are Ohio State’s Nick Mangold, Oklahoma’s Chris Chester and Minnesota’s Greg Eslinger.
Lutui, Joseph, Mangold and Gilles all figure to land somewhere in the late first to early part of the third round and the Rams could be in the mix for a guard as early as round three. Matua has slid under the radar of many teams because of Lutui’s massive presence, but he has made an impressive move up the board in recent weeks after a solid Pro Day workout.

Look for the Rams to come away from the draft with at least one interior lineman.