NT A’Shawn Robinson key addition to LA Rams defense

LA Rams adding A’Shawn Robinson is key addition for team’s defense in 2020

While sportswriters and fans focused upon the LA Rams defensive changes at linebacker, the team quietly added a defensive lineman in A’Shawn Robinson. He’s a 6-foot-4 330-pound behemoth who had played his entire NFL career for the Detroit Lions. While there, he appeared in 58 of 64 games and started 37 contests. During his career, he saw 2,085 defensive snaps, made 172 tackles, 16 tackles for losses, 14 quarterback hits, 16 passes defended, and one interception for a touchdown.

In all of those seasons and all the statistics, nothing jumps off the page to lead anyone to believe he will be something quite special for the LA Rams.  After all, the LA Rams 3-4 places 2-gap responsibility on their players, far more pressure upon the defensive linemen, whereas the Detroit Lions give defensive linemen a simpler one-gap responsibility upon their front four. How can the LA Rams expect Robinson to deliver after showing only a modest performance in the NFL so far?

Right player for the job

The LA Rams learned quite-by-accident that All-Pro Aaron Donald is quite capable of dominating the NFL, with the right players around him.  So what type of “right player” will it take? When the Rams paired up Donald with Ndamukong Suh, Donald had his best one-year performance. Suh is 6-foot-4 and 307-pounds and is a circus strongman who commands the attention of the offensive line. While Suh himself no longer puts up NFL leading stats, his presence frees teammates to do just that.  Since  Suh priced himself right out of the LA Rams price range, the Rams opted to manufacture a player to take on that role.

A’Shawn Robinson is to defensive linemen what the F350 is to vehicles. Robinson won’t set a speed record, and won’t juke his way to the quarterback. In fact, he doesn’t even offer a sideline-to-sideline range. But what he does is create an immovable fireplug in the center of the defense, a player who can routinely take on double teams deliberately, and in the process allow teammates to make the plays. Before 2020, he played with such teammates as Trey Flowers, Damon Harrison Sr., and Romeo Okwara. Now, his teammates will be Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Sebastian Joseph Day, and Greg Gaines.

Robinson’s impact cannot be measured by stats

Many will attempt to measure Robinson’s impact on the Rams defense by the number of tackles and sacks he generates. But that will be no more successful than the efforts attempting to measure his impact on his new team by investigating what he did for the Lions.  Robinson has never played alongside Aaron Donald, and never played in the LA Rams 3-4 defense.  This will be a new chapter for him.

Since he was one of the first free agents signed, we know that the new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley sees him as the axle for the defense, a key cog in the machinery. The blueprint for Vic Fangio’s defense is strong big defensive linemen, pass rush from the edges, and a blend of talents in the defensive backfield able to disguise how defenders will defend receivers.

Stop the run

The defense, for all of the deception and versatility on pass coverage, must improve by stopping the run.  That is Brandon Staley’s first order of business. And that is why Robinson was the Rams’ first free-agent signing. Per Stu Jackson’s introductory article about A’Shawn Robinson’s 2018 season on TheRams.com he reports:

"“Robinson may have played limited snaps, but he earned a grade over 90.0 for his work in run defense,” PFF wrote, ultimately giving Robinson a 91.3 grade in that category. It ended up as the sixth-highest run defense grade by an interior defensive lineman.”"

Robinson will get his chance to snuff the run for the LA Rams. He’s that “guy in the middle” who becomes the immovable object. To move him, he will force offensive linemen to double-team him. So putting a guard and center on Robinson will force one offensive tackle to face Brockers or Donald.  And then, who covers the edge rusher? That’s the power of A’Shawn Robinson on the LA Rams defensive line.

It starts upfront

Until the LA Rams prove that the defense can stop the run, they will face a running attack. Look at the schedule? The Rams open with the Dallas Cowboys, who ran roughshod over the Rams in 2019.  After that? The Rams take on another strong running attack of the Philadelphia Eagles. Next, the Rams remain on the east coast to take on the running attack of the Buffalo Bills. In the first three games, the LA Rams will face the fifth, the tenth, and the seventh-ranked ground game of the NFL.  That’s why the Rams signed Robinson.

Of course, the run defense will depend upon who the Rams line up as linebackers. We know that Micah Kiser can put a good thump on, and Ravens fans have shared that Kenny Young has a good nose for the ball as well. But for the LA Rams, it all starts upfront. A’Shawn Robinson is more than just a guy to take defensive snaps. He was once regarded at a top 20 prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft by Sports Illustrated. Robinson was that guy who has forever been a wall at the defensive front.  Now he gets to be more for the LA Rams.  But it may not show up in his stats alone. Rather, it will show up as the defense plays better overall.