LA Rams News: Donald/Brockers duo better 2nd time around

LA Rams News: Fans know how good DL Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers can be, but they’ll be even better the second time around

The LA Rams averted a huge roster gaffe by nearly allowing DL Michael Brockers to sign elsewhere. Not only would that have been counterproductive to the team, but it was a huge strain upon the relationship the team has with All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald.  That is until the fates smiled and freed up defensive lineman Michael Brockers from a nearly instantaneous signing on with the Baltimore Ravens the moment the 2020 NFL Free Agency market opened for business.

In short, the Ravens were unhappy with Brockers’ medical data and wished to renegotiate the terms of the contract originally agreed to. That allowed the LA Rams an opportunity to swoop in, match the terms of the Ravens now-withdrawn offer, and retain Brockers on the Rams defensive front. That meant a great deal to the Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who personally lobbied for the Rams to retain Brockers.  You see, not only does the duo have a strong bond of friendship, but Donald truly respects the contributions of his teammate, and is happy to share his thoughts whenever he gets a chance.

The Rams almost let Brockers slip away, despite the focus upon improving the Rams running defense. Almost, but for the sheer random luck of miscommunication and some frugal attempts by the Baltimore Ravens to shave some dollars off a contract, did not. In the end, and completely by accident, the LA Rams reunite two of the most effective defensive linemen in the NFL.  Now, the NFC West running offenses will have their hands full of two newly motivated run-stopping teammates.

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So that restores the LA Rams defensive line to the base starting point from 2019. But the Rams did have one thing missing. A strong nose tackle who would attract the attention of the offensive line. Yes, the team has two young defensive linemen in Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines. But the Rams had a dominating player like that once before, Ndamukong Suh, and the result was career-high stats for Donald. A player whose size and strength forces offenses to double team him, opening the way for Donald to devastate that offense.

The Rams have found such a player in A’Shawn Robinson. A powerful roadblock who will likely be the fireplug in the middle of the Rams defensive front. Now the Rams base 3-4 will feature Aaron Donald, A’Shawn Robinson, and Michael Brockers, with both Sebastian Joseph-Day and Greg Gaines rotating in. Say what you will about the LA Rams, but this rotation at the defensive line will be incredible in 2020.

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In a previous article, we compared the stats of Robinson and Brockers and concluded that Brockers was a good free agent substitute for Brockers on the Rams defensive front. But we had no idea that the Rams would have the benefit of both playing on the same defensive line.

As the team sorts through who will get the start at the linebacker positions, the front three has been upgraded so well that it may not matter as much as originally thought.  With Brockers, Robinson, and Donald at the defensive line, the Rams middle linebackers should benefit from cleaner play than many teams.  And with the projected starting outside linebackers as Leonard Floyd and Terrell Lewis, there will be very little degradation on the pass rush which was a Rams strong suit in 2019.

With this defense, the more you look, the more there is to love about it.  The LA Rams allowed 1,809 yards on the ground in 2019. I project that will fall to an estimated 1,600 yards on the ground. And yes, that is despite the Rams facing the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Arizona Cardinals, all of whom love to run the ball.

The NFL Draft, for the most part, will impact most teams in 3-4 years down the road. The LA Rams, who have historically fast-tracked drafted players into productive roles on the team, will likely see defensive contributions from OLB Terrell Lewis and S/CB Terrell Burgess this year.

I don’t see the LA Rams collapsing in 2020. If the team had a collapse mentality, that would have occurred in 2019 amidst all the turmoil. The LA Rams will rebound this year.  And it will all start up front in the trenches.