Looking Forward and Back: 2016-17 Los Angeles Rams Defensive Tackles

Louis Trinca-Pasat (6’1” 292 lbs) Age: 24, Entering 2^nd Year as a Pro

Louis Trinca-Pasat was one of the few undrafted free agents to make last year’s roster. With Nick Fairley likely to be released, “LTP” should be the next man up for the Rams’ defensive tackle rotation.

Despite his Aaron Donald-like size, Trinca-Pasat produced an incredible 0 tackles including 0 tackles for loss and 0.0 sacks in 2015. OK—he never actually played in a game as a rookie last season due to the serviceable play of Ethan Westbrooks and Eugene Sims at the interior defensive line positions. That’s probably why I couldn’t find a better picture of Trinca-Pasat in a Rams uniform.

However, LTP was an absolute beast with a high-motor in college as an Iowa Hawkeye compiling 149 total tackles including 25.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks in his career.

His hustle and effort will be welcomed to the rotation next year, especially with the hard-working defensive end Chris Long being released by the team earlier this week. Hopefully another offseason with the Rams will improve his game at the professional level. After all, he made the roster last year with his impressive preseason performances.

2016-17 Prediction for Louis Trinca-Pasat

This is a difficult player to predict, since he has yet to play in a regular season game. His strength and speed is nowhere close to that of Donald, but after watching Trinca-Pasat compete this past summer in the Oxnard training camp, I believe that his toughness will get him playing time as the third defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, especially with Ethan Westbrooks focusing on the defensive end position with the absence of Chris Long.

I wouldn’t expect an impactful year stat-wise from Trinca-Pasat, but 20 total tackles with 2 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack is realistic should he be given a bigger role in this defense. If anything, he’s a good teammate who’ll give his all on any given play.

Probability of the Rams Signing/Drafting Another Defensive Tackle:

Probably. No matter how good Trinca-Pasat looks during the offseason, competition should be brought in when Nick Fairley signs with another team. As mentioned above, Trinca-Pasat has the size of Aaron Donald but lacks the same physical abilities. He needs to really earn his third spot in the defensive tackle rotation next year.

Also, Michael Brockers will be entering the last year of his contract. Assuming the Rams re-sign most of their free agents in the secondary this offseason, the team will have less cap space to use. The team would need another nose tackle to replace his production as a run-stopper to complement Aaron Donald.

The Rams will (hopefully) be drafting an offensive player in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After the first round, Los Angeles would be looking at nose tackle names such as Vernon Butler out of Louisiana Tech, Kenny Clark out of UCLA, or Hassan Ridgeway out of Texas.

Aaron Donald is the future of the Los Angeles Rams, but it wouldn’t hurt to get him some help.

Do you want to see more articles like this? Comment below with a position you would like to see next in this series! Didn’t like this article? Comment below on how I can improve this series!