5 reasons LA Rams starting defensive line excels in 2020

LA Rams 3 defensive linemen Aaron Donald, Greg Gaines, and Sebastian Joseph-Day start in 2020 and gobble blocks, stop runs, and pressure quarterbacks

The LA Rams defense appears to be the area of the team in need of the most attention this off-season. With the plans of most NFL teams on hold pending the players’ decision of the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Rams’ plans this offseason are completely unpredictable. The team has plenty of options to free up cap space this year. Therefore, the team has plenty of options to fill the 2020 roster with top shelf, middle shelf, or bottom shelf veterans. The team can even add depth from the 2020 NFL Draft or even by signing undrafted free agents.

But during a weekly interview on the LA Rams podcast, general manager Les Snead seemed to suggest that the team will lose multiple quality players this season to free agency.  That will give the team as many as four third and fourth-round picks for the 2021 NFL Draft. On the other hand, it does nothing for the 2020 roster.

So the team may face debuting at brand new SoFi stadium with fewer “NFL Stars” than originally planned. There has to be another way, a better way.  For the Rams defensive line, the solution may already be on the roster, simply by shuffling the starters on the defensive line.

The obvious solution for the LA Rams starting defensive line is to line up DE Aaron Donald, NT Greg Gaines, and DE Sebastian Joseph-Day. Donald can play any defensive line position on any NFL team and end up as an All-Pro.  So why add Gaines and Joseph-Day? Here are the first five reasons we’d thought of:

I-Familiar teammates

New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will run the LA Rams through a base 3-4 defense, which is the same base defense run by former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. The same base formation, yes, but completely different defensive philosophies. The Phillips defense enters with the same defense and flexes based on the down and distance.

More from Rams Draft

• 4 needs that Rams must address in 2023 NFL Draft
• LA Rams projected to be awarded 4 comp picks in 2023 NFL Draft
• 4 reasons why LA Rams trading back in 2023 NFL Draft seems likely
• Latest PFF mock draft exhausts rookie QBs before LA Rams pick
• LA Rams last game carries huge impact on their 2023 NFL Draft

Some disguises, some blitzes, but a basic strength on strength dare to offenses to win battles on each play.

From defensive master Vic Fangio, Brandon Staley employs a more complex scheme. His playbook varies individual responsibilities based upon the opponent, down, and distance. If the LA Rams face an opponent with a hot running back, individual assignments will change to neutralize that player in the upcoming game. If the opposing quarterback is hot-handed while reading blitzes, Staley’s defensive school will disguise the blitz to appear like zone, and with the adaptation hope to throw off the offense’s rhythm and momentum.

The Rams projected front three are familiar with one another.  As the team moves from known to unknowns, the relationships among the team’s starters become ever more important.  The first games won’t be flawless. A player may mistake his role. Another player may misread what is happening.  Familiar players communicate, talk it out, and troubleshoot real-time.  That will be critical for the Rams in  2020.

II- Build depth behind them

The LA Rams cannot ensure that the players they believe to be the most talented on the defensive line will remain on the board at the 52nd pick.  So any thought towards drafting immediate starters in the 2020 NFL Draft will likely be dashed from the moment the Rams step up to the podium for the first time.

More from Ramblin' Fan

• NFL Trade Rumors: Would Rams trade for Jonathon Taylor?
• Look for 49ers players to follow DeMeco Ryans to Texans
• Ryans to the Texans, will Rams Raheem Morris be next?
• Broncos mimic LA Rams, go All-In pairing Payton with Russell
• Need a new Los Angeles Rams hat for less than $10?

What the LA Rams can count on is a need for depth at virtually all defensive positions. Depth is nowhere near as difficult to find in days two and three of the NFL Draft as is a day one starter. The LA Rams found depth for the offensive line in later rounds in 2019, both of whom eventually started and played well.

So too, the Rams starting Donald, Gaines, and Joseph-Day affords the team the luxury of drafting the best players on the board. As those rookies gain confidence and proficiency, they are simply added to the defensive line rotations.  As they improve, their playing time is increased. It’s a self-correcting process. If the player regresses or simply does not improve, their playing time is adjusted to reflect a less proficient grasp and performance of the defense.

These LA Rams truly do not have other options as far as the NFL Draft is concerned. GM Les Snead spends first-round picks long before the NFL Draft arrives. The Rams are committed to the cycle of starting veterans and building behind them via the draft and undrafted free agents.

III- Gobble blockers

The LA Rams 3-4 formation of 2020 depends upon defensive linemen to occupy blockers, allowing the linebackers to diagnose what happens in front of them and make the tackles.  The Rams have some solid linebackers who can step up to starting roles in 2020. Kenny Young, who arrived at the team as a result of the Marcus Peters traded to the Baltimore Ravens, is an ideal starter for the Rams at inside linebacker.  Linebacker Micah Kiser, a true thumper who was projected to start in 2019 but failed to do so after a preseason injury ended his season, is ideally suited to start in the other inside linebacker position.

But both linebackers are relatively inexperienced in the heart of the Rams defense. As they try to manage their own duties, call out coverages and blitz packages based upon what they see develop in front of them, they will need all the help they can get.

Of course, defensive linemen who occupy multiple blockers at the line of scrimmage are true assets to the linebackers who must play behind them. We already know that Aaron Donald is the NFL king of the double team.  But both Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines have had their share of double teams as well.

Many will judge the performance of a defender by the number of tackles made, and the number of sacks recorded in the game and in the course of a season.  But defensive coaches judge 3-4 defensive linemen by how effectively they hold on the line of scrimmage, how effective the linebackers are playing behind them, and the ability to shed blockers and tackle for a loss.  The Rams are losing productive linebackers. Perhaps the Rams defensive line is simply just that effective?

IV- Pressure quarterbacks

The LA Rams sacked the quarterback 50 times in 2019. That was good for fourth-best in the NFL. But the team loses at least 18 sacks with the imminent departure of OLB Dante Fowler Jr., ILB Cory Littleton, and DE Michael Brockers. How can the team hope to restore that same amount of pressure on the opponents’ quarterbacks?

Well, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines are no slouches when it comes to taking a bead on the passer. Of the number, defensive end Michael Brockers added just 3.0 sacks.  In fact, since arriving in Los Angeles, Brockers has added just 8.5 sacks over the past four seasons.  In 2019, Joseph-Day added 2.0 sacks in 481 defensive snaps, while Gaines added just 0.5 in 183 defensive snaps.

Both players saw their first action on defense in 2019. Now both will be looking at significantly more playing time. Will they be up for the challenge? With Aaron Donald on the defensive line, the unit will most certainly produce. And though both players saw their first action in 2019, both players performed rather well.  Now, like returning offensive linemen, their training camp and offseason practices will carry much more significance. The players have the real game experience to draw upon

And Staley will not just line up players in a vanilla 3-4 look and expect players to win the battle on every play. As he schemes to unlock Donald’s potential, the new defensive coordinator will likely unlock the potential of each defensive linemen. Keep in mind that offenses have never witnessed the LA Rams defense under Brandon Staley. Advantage – Rams.

V- Stop the run

The LA Rams run defense in 2019 was ranked 19th of 32 teams. You really do not need me to tell you that one of the goals for the 2020 Rams defense is to improve that ranking and that performance. With an NFC West of the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks all emphasizing running the ball more effectively, the Rams must counter by upping the defense against them. But that is not as easy of a task as it sounds.

The Rams do not have the necessary resources to target run defense specialists among the available veterans in the NFL Free Agency market.  And the Rams are not positioned in the NFL Draft at a place where top tier defenders will be there on the board when the Rams step up to the podium. So the Rams will need to use their imagination a bit.

One of the weaknesses of the 3-4 defense is the fact that four of the front seven stand behind the line, and must move several yards forward to stop a runner at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips understood the weakness but accepted it. The Rams offense was so potent that most teams were forced out of the time-consuming ground game to convert to an aerial assault in hopes of keeping up with the Rams offense.  In 2019, teams played much closer games, and as a result, the Rams faced rushing offenses far longer in a game.

Staley’s approach when facing running offenses can be as simple as shading defensive linemen or lining them up to appear to be a one-gap responsibility. As the play progresses, each defensive lineman than drives right at the offensive lineman, stacking them at the line of scrimmage to read the play and shedding the blocker as the ball carrier commits to the hole that is no longer there.

Staley’s defense will borrow a great deal from his mentor Vic Fangio but can add some wrinkles of his own design. After all, Fangio never had an opportunity to coach a defensive lineman who played at the level of All-Pro Aaron Donald.