WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Having Warren McClendon Jr. as depth at right tackle proved pivotal for the Rams in 2025.
As longtime starter and team captain Rob Havenstein battled ankle and knee injuries, McClendon started 10 regular season games and all three playoff games. Across those 10 starts and 380 pass blocking snaps in the regular season, McClendon was one of three offensive tackles to allow just one sack and three or fewer quarterback hits, according to TruMedia.
As Havenstein contemplates returning to play a 12th season versus retiring, head coach Sean McVay said McClendon has "absolutely" earned the right to succeed Havenstein as the team's starting right tackle should Havenstein decide to call it a career.
"No question," McVay said. "He has. He's done great. He played really well. You mentioned Alaric, I'm proud as hell of Warren McClendon. These guys deserve a ton of credit. They're the ones out there doing the work. There are a lot of people in the midst of that process that help whether that be their teammates, coaches, and then just continuing to mature and ascend. I was really happy and proud of the way that Warren played. He did an outstanding job for us this year."
Former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur in early December said McClendon's biggest areas of growth in Year 3 were his "physical and playing maturity," and things "calming down" for him. Being healthy also made a big difference for the former Georgia product, who played six games as a rookie in 2023 but only played 32 offensive snaps. LaFleur attributed that to being "banged up when he got here and never really got healthy"; McClendon missed training camp that year with a knee injury. Thus, 2024 felt more like his actual rookie season, and he spent that season playing both tackle positions.
Settling in at his more comfortable position of right tackle this past season, McClendon also finished the season ranked 8th in offensive grade (83.5) and 5th in run blocking grade (86.7) among all tackles (min 50% snaps) by Pro Football Focus. It was a credit not only to what LaFleur described, but also McClendon changing the way he watched film based on the tips the veteran Rams offensive linemen gave him.
"I'm just doing my job," McClendon told theRams.com in December. "I really try not to get too big in on the stats and stuff like that. Just trying to do my job. I don't want to let anybody down."
Besides experiences, one of the biggest pieces to McClendon's development was the amount of time Havenstein invested in him. During an appearance on Rams Revealed last season, McClendon said Havenstein during games would give him pointers on his set, the depth of his drop or his technique with his hands.
"After every series, he'll come up to me and be like 'Hey, good series there or, hey, I saw this,'" McClendon said on the podcast.
A former fifth-round draft pick, McClendon enters the offseason extension-eligible with 2026 marking the final year of his rookie contract. Rams general manager Les Snead on Wednesday praised McClendon for his development in 2025.
"Warren's a success story, both individually and for the team," Snead said. "He came in and he played his role as a backup, sometimes active, sometimes not active. Worked on his trade, worked on his craft. Got a more consistent opportunity this year when Rob was struggling with the injuries and made the most of it."
