Rams Give Brian Allen a Crack at Starting Center

It may have appeared the Rams starting five across their offensive line was figured out through the first two weeks of training camp. However, that's not exactly the case. At least based on the work Brian Allen has received in recent days with the first-team offense.

“He’s doing a great job, and he’s played really well,” coach Sean McVay said about Allen after Monday’s practice. “We’re still in the middle of evaluating what it looks like to figure out that best combination of those five guys up front. The way that Brian has played consistently throughout camp — like we’ve said, we know that Austin Corbett can be a really good right guard. Bobby Evans has shown that he can be a starting-caliber player for us as well. It’s really a reflection of how well Brian has played, and we’re going to continue to evaluate that.”

With Allen's resurgence — including the joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys — Austin Corbett has kicked over to the right guard alignment. McVay has explored a multitude of combinations with moving pieces at center and right guard, but he believes there won't be any disconnect from quarterback Matthew Stafford when taking snaps under center from different guys.

"I think Matthew's got a good rapport with both of those guys," McVay said when asked about the different looks two centers would provide Stafford with. "Definitely don't minimize the importance of it. But what you feel really good is — we got two guys that we feel confident can start at center for us."

Initially, Crobett was anticipated to solidify the center position. However, with Allen coming off a leg injury that sidelined him for the entire 2020 season, his expectations entering camp were left unknown. Needless to say, he's outperformed them thus far, which put the wheels in motion for a shuffle at the two positions.

In order to move Corbett from guard to center and back to guard, surely the coaches have lofty expectations for Allen to do big things in 2021.

“If you look at Brian Allen, he looks physically impressive,” McVay said. “He’s strong, he’s sturdy. You can see all of the work that he has really put in. I think you can see that he’s feeling really good being another year removed from that knee injury.

McVay stated it's still an ongoing evaluation at center, but currently, the optimism for Allen remains high.

Continue Reading: Intel on QB Matthew Stafford From SI's Albert Breer

Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.