Ryan Wendell enters his fourth season with the Los Angeles Rams as the offensive line coach. Before joining the Rams, he spent three seasons as an assistant offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills.
Last season, Wendell guided a unit that tied with the Broncos for the fifth-fewest sacks allowed with 23.Â
In 2024, Wendell led a unit that ranked first in penalties per game (5.56), sixth in sacks allowed (31), tied for sixth in quarterback sack rate (5.5%), tied for seventh in hurries allowed (132) and 11th in pressures allowed (191). From Weeks 7-17, the offensive line allowed just 12.0 sacks and didn't allow a sack in seven of those 11 games. The offensive line also didn't allow a sack in four consecutive weeks, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and the first time they've accomplished the feat since 2013.
OL Kevin Dotson built on his stellar first season with the Rams and allowed just 1.0 sack, four quarterback hits and five hurries after the bye week in Week 6. Under Wendell's guidance, the Rams were one of two teams in the NFL to have a tackle duo in Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein rank inside the top-15 in hurries allowed (min. 600 snaps played).
Additionally, rookie C Beaux Limmer allowed only 1.0 sack and just four quarterback hits on 510 pass blocking snaps during the regular season. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded the seventh-best run blocking grade and the 13th-best offensive grade among rookie offensive linemen. Limmer was one of two offensive linemen drafted beyond day two to be ranked inside the top-15 for overall offensive grade.
During the 2023 season, the Rams offensive line allowed the lowest sack total since the 2020 season. The unit finished the regular season ranked seventh in quarterback sack rate (5.5%) and pressures allowed (213). The Rams offensive line also paved the way for an elite rushing attack in 2023, finishing 11th in rushing yards (2,045), 12th in yards per rush attempt (4.3), and eighth in rushing touchdowns (18).
OL Steve Avila had a stellar rookie campaign in 2023. With 1,094 snaps played, Avila played the most snaps for a Rams offensive lineman since 2021 and the most by a Rams rookie since Cooper Kupp in 2017. Among rookie offensive linemen, Avila finished second in snaps played and was the only Rams player to play every offensive snap last season.
Wendell also mentored Dotson during his first season with the Rams. According to Pro Football Focus, Dotson finished the season with the second-best offensive grade (85.2) and the best run blocking grade (88.8) among all guards. Additionally, Jackson finished tied for first in sacks allowed (1.0) among tackles that played more than 500 snaps on the season.
In 2022 with the Buffalo Bills, Wendell helped the offensive line finish eighth in fewest sacks allowed (23) and sack rate (5.4%), 11th in pressures allowed and 11th in average time to throw (2.86 seconds). Wendell's group also helped the Bills' offense finish fourth in yards per game (397.6), seventh in rush yards per game (139.5), second in yards per rush (5.2), seventh in pass yards per game (258.1), and third in offensive points scored per game (26.88). Bills' T Dion Dawkins received Pro Bowl honors under Wendell's mentorship that season.
In 2021, the Bills' offensive line finished second in fewest sacks allowed (27) and sack rate (4.0%), and fifth in average time to throw (2.9 seconds). The Bills' offense also finished the 2021 season sixth in rush yards (2,209) and yards per rush (4.8), and seventh in rushing touchdowns (20).
Under Wendell's guidance in 2020, the Bills' offensive line ranked ninth in sacks allowed (27), seventh in sack rate (4.3%) and 11th in rushing first downs (119). He served as a coaching assistant in his first year as a coach at the NFL ranks in 2019.
Wendell had a nine-year NFL playing career and appeared in 80 games (49 starts) with the New England Patriots from 2008-15 and the Carolina Panthers in 2016.
During his tenure as a player with the Patriots, Wendell won a Super Bowl (2014) and two conference championships (2011, 2014). Wendell also recorded back-to-back seasons starting every game during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He appeared in 12 career postseason contests with seven starts and also started at three different spots along the offensive line including left guard, center and right guard.
He signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent in 2008 after playing collegiately at Fresno State where he was a four-year starter from 2004-07.
During his time at Fresno State, Wendell played center for an offensive line that set a school record for fewest sacks allowed (12). He played in nine games during his freshman season in 2004, when he helped the school finish as the nation's fifth-ranked offense. He also earned All-WAC and Academic All-WAC honors.
Wendell is a Southern California native and had his jersey retired by Diamond Bar High School, where he was elected to the school's Hall of Fame. He also was selected First-Team All-CIF Southern Section as a defensive lineman as a senior and as an offensive lineman as a junior. As a student, Wendell was the winner of the California Governor's Scholar Share Award.
