WOODLAND HILLS — The Rams’ beleaguered offensive line finally got some reprieve from bad news Friday, as right tackle Rob Havenstein is expected to return to play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, head coach Sean McVay said.
Havenstein missed the season opener against the Lions due to an ankle injury suffered in August. But after limited practices the past two weeks, the 10-year veteran appears ready to make his season debut.
“He’s had a really good week,” McVay said.
With left tackle Alaric Jackson still serving the final game of his personal conduct suspension, Havenstein’s return will likely flip second-year tackle Warren McClendon Jr. over from the right side to the left. McClendon worked at both sides of the line during the preseason and said he feels comfortable at either position.
“He’s done a good job of getting a bunch of experience that we wouldn’t have anticipated if it weren’t for some of the absences of guys on the left side,” McVay said. “I’ve been pleased with Warren, he’s continuing to grow, I think he’s really coachable, the game makes sense to him.”
The Rams’ offensive line got an additional boost Friday, as McVay said that starting right guard Kevin Dotson (foot) is expected to play against the Cardinals on Sunday. Dotson did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, but escalated up to limited participation Friday. He’ll still be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, but McVay still expects him to play.
So while Jackson is still suspended and interior lineman Steve Avila is on injured reserve, the Rams will at least have three starters along the offensive line against the Cardinals.
Similar to Dotson, defensive backs Quentin Lake (hip) and Cobie Durant (toe) were limited Friday and will be listed as questionable for Sunday, but McVay said both are expected to play.
Tight end Davis Allen, however, will be doubtful after missing practice this week with a back injury that McVay says has tightened up over the course of the week.
Cornerback Tre’Davious White received a veteran rest day Friday and won’t have an injury designation for Sunday.
Procedure for Avila
Avila had a procedure performed on his sprained MCL on Thursday, McVay said, after suffering the injury during the first half of last weekend’s loss to the Lions.
Avila was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. McVay said then that it wasn’t certain that the second-year lineman would be able to return after missing the minimum four weeks, and that his recovery could stretch beyond that. On Friday, McVay said the procedure did not impact that timeline.
“It went well. He’s doing good, he’s in good spirits, smiling like normal,” McVay said. “It wasn’t anything different than what we had expected. It was just kind of this accelerates the healing, the approach that we took.”
