Are LA Rams Donald/Ramsey the best Defensive Duo?

Can LA Rams claim DT Donald and CB Ramsey as NFL’s best duo on defense?

The LA Rams chances for success are taking a pounding right now in the national sports forum.  Almost anyone with an audience is writing the Rams off this upcoming season.  It’s a narrative that seems to have been scripted as soon as the season ended, citing a bad off-season, and a projected drop for the team’s elite passing game.

Following the exit of 2019 stars like ILB Cory Littleton, OLB Dante Fowler Jr, RB Todd Gurley, WR Brandin Cooks, and even defensive savant Coach Wade Phillips, the Rams are not getting favorable win/loss projections among the media. In the shuffle to push “The Rams are bad!” theme, its as though everyone has forgotten that the Rams have two of the best defensive players at their respective positions in the NFL.

Stars still shine brightly over LA

All-Pro Aaron Donald is undoubtedly the best defensive lineman in the NFL and All-Pro Jalen Ramsey is arguably the best corner in football. Now that we have established that, what other teams in the NFL have a duo as good? Do the Rams have the best defensive duo in the NFL?

The first team that comes to mind is the other team in Los Angeles, the newly arrived  LA Chargers. Both defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James are hugely talented defenders to be reckoned with and they are close to the top but no cigar. Chicago Bears tandem of outside linebacker Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson are another safety and pass rush duo who many categorize as elites. Personally, I don’t think Eddie Jackson is on Jalen Ramsey’s level just yet and Khalil Mack isn’t as consistent as Aaron Donald.

Los Angeles Rams

More Defensive Dynamic Duos

Two gentlemen who are rising stars in the NFL, almost certain Hall of Famers, are Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. These young studs are leading a revival to the modern-day steel curtain defense.

Still, they take a back seat to one of the best linebacker duos in the NFL, and one that resides in the NFC West as well, Seattle Seahawks’ linebacker Bobby Wagner is arguably the best LB in football and his teammate K.J. Wright has been a solid partner for years. While they may boast to be the best linebacker duo, they are not in the same ballpark as the best defensive duo.

Proper NFL Pairings

Another solid duo who also plays in the NFC West is San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive end Nick Bosa, both of whom are at the elite status of their respective positions. If Nick Bosa continues his rampage throughout his young career and Richard Sherman continues to beat father time, the LA Rams will be plagued by them for years to come. The last duo that comes to mind just became teammates in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Both are borderline elite players, but both are fighting the clock as they both are getting up in years though.

Now that we’ve gone through the best duos in the NFL, I don’t think there’s another duo that is more established in the NFL than that of LA Rams’ Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. With their presence on the Rams,  I’m still unclear how anyone can sleep on them this year? Is it just a faulty narrative being pushed on the nation early so that eventual success by the Rams creates a firestorm of people rushing back to the bandwagon? In Sean McVay we trust? We’ll see in a few months.