In February 2024, then-Rams offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom visited Baltimore to accept the Ed Block Courage Award.
Noteboom suffered a torn Achilles during the 2022 season, but he bounced back to play in 14 games in 2023. It was the second major injury of his professional career; Noteboom had also torn the ACL and MCL in his right knee in 2019. In between those injuries, he helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.
His Rams teammates voted him the team’s recipient of the award, given to one player from each team who represents professionalism, strength and dedication. As part of the trip to Baltimore, players visit St. Vincent’s Villa in Timonium, which serves “children ages 12 and younger whose behavioral and emotional needs have not responded to community based interventions and services,” according to its website.
The trip left a lasting impact on Noteboom.
“The main thing that was very humbling was that it was a team-voted award. It just felt good [that] teammates thought of me in that way, just to receive an award like that,” Noteboom said on Glenn Clark Radio May 15. “Coming out here to the actual event as really cool, too, with the charity. We did the children’s house. That was better than receiving the award, just going over there and seeing all that and being with the kids. Overall, it was just a great thing.”
Noteboom suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 of the 2024 season, limiting him to just four games in what was the final season of a three-year, $40 million deal with Los Angeles. The soon-to-be-30-year-old hit the market understanding he might not find a guaranteed starting job given all the injuries he has battled back from as a pro.
But the Ravens had a need for the versatility along the offensive line following the departure of Patrick Mekari in free agency. Noteboom played both guard and tackle since being taken in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of TCU. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound lineman has played in 71 regular-season games, starting 35.
Noteboom signed a one-year, $2 million deal with Baltimore.
“I didn’t have any coaching connections or anything like that,” Noteboom said. “In the offseason, they kind of just showed the most interest and wanted it to work out for me to come here. The only connection is they said they liked me coming out of the draft. That’s about it.”
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, right tackle Roger Rosengarten and center Tyler Linderbaum are building blocks of the Ravens’ offensive line, but the team needed a veteran backup at each tackle spot and another option at the guard positions beyond Ben Cleveland, Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees.
Noteboom says playing everywhere along the line is more challenging than it may seem.
“It’s definitely a difficult thing to do as an O-lineman just with switching sides and positions — tackle and guard — is completely different, even switching left tackle to right tackle,” Noteboom said. “The way your body moves and your muscle memory and everything like that, it’s extremely hard to switch your mind and your body to do that. But it’s something I embrace and I feel like other guys embrace being able to do that just to increase your value and help the team out.”
After spending his entire NFL career with the Rams, Noteboom is excited for a new chapter in Baltimore.
“Around the league, you just have a sense that they’re all about football, hard-working. It’s the AFC North — physical division, it’s just all about football in these towns,” Noteboom said. “You just know that’s what it’s going to be and it’s exciting when you go somewhere where you know they’re just going to grind and just try to win. The rivalries within the division, it’s part of what makes football fun.”
For more from Noteboom, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Bryce Todd/Los Angeles Rams