The Los Angeles Rams defense got off to a slow start in 2024 as defensive coordinator Chris Shula did his best to teach a young, but hungry defensive line.
The Rams selected Jared Verse and Braden Fiske with their first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, pairing them with Kobie Turner and Byron Young. The four made up the backbone of Los Angeles’ defense, though it took time for them to find their footing.
However, the group eventually got it together and became arguably the Rams’ biggest advantage on the field. Heading into 2025, the defensive line looks even stronger after a year working together and should be major strength in the regular season.
Turner noted that this year feels different because there are more players thats can handle early downs, which allows him to focus more on pass rushing, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“For me, my journey last year, I started off taking basically every snap and once it got to third downs, I didn’t have as much juice,” Turner said after Monday’s practice at Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union.
“Now we have guys that are able to take snaps on the early downs, keep us fresh for pass rushing opportunities,” Turner said. “When you see those guys get to work on pass rush as well, if me or (Braden) Fiske needed to take some of the early downs as well, you swap it out, it’s interchangeable. We really have a great group of guys (that) you can plug and play whatever position.”
Turner also expressed how impressed he’s been with the new additions and how each player can mix and match depending on matchups:
“To be able to have guys who can hold it down like Poona, like ‘T.D’ (Tyler Davis), who can really own the run and who really uphold the standard that we have in that D-line room. Now we have guys that are able to take snaps on the early downs, keep us fresh for pass rushing opportunities,” Turner said. “When you see those guys get to work on pass rush as well, if me or Fiske needed to take some of the early downs as well, you swap it out, it’s interchangeable. We really have a great group of guys and you can plug and play whatever position.”
Los Angeles’ defense has the makings of an elite unit and it’ll be interesting to see if Turner and company can live up to the heightened expectations.
Kevin Dotson explains why he loves playing for Rams
While Kobie Turner loves the defense, Kevin Dotson has made it known how much he loves the Rams organization as whole. Dotson explained his love for the franchise comes from the coaches, his teammates and the fans.
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