A surprising stat for Rams Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner
Aaron Donald being the best defensive tackle in the NFL is nothing new, but Aaron Donald not leading the Rams in double-teams is certainly an original storyline. As it so happens, Donald is leading all defensive tackles in pass rush win rate for yet another season according to ESPN’s Seth Walder, but he’s not L.A.’s most double-teamed defensive tackle.
That’s Kobie Turner.
Double team rate at defensive tackle (x) by pass rush win rate defensive tackle (y), updated through Week 14.
Hello, Osa Odighizuwa! pic.twitter.com/JYJTOmZR0T
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) December 14, 2023
Donald’s pass rush win rate in 2023, per Next Gen Stats, is a step above second place Osa Odighizuwa of the Cowboys, another step over the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, and well ahead of fourth-place Jalen Carter, the star rookie of the Eagles. It’s also well above the average, as you expect.
However, while Turner is buried in the middle of the pack for pass rush win rate, he has roughly the fifth-highest rate of double teams in the NFL among all defensive tackles in the league, only trailing Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, and Lawrence. He appears to be tied with Quinnen Williams.
Not bad for a third round rookie.
We’ve been hearing of the Aaron Donald effect for years now, as Donald piles up double and triple-teams that open up teammates for easy sack opportunities. With his effectiveness as present as ever, there’s no question that the effect is still a factor in play for all of his teammates, including Turner. But with Turner drawing as many double-teams as he has in 2023, it seems as though the rookie is having some impact of his own. And his pass rush win rate isn’t bad either.