7 LA Rams players happy to help Donald carry the load

Defender 7: OLB Lewis

The LA Rams need for a rookie edge rusher like Alabama’s outside linebacker Terrell Lewis was huge heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. But the chance of his falling to the Rams in the latter half of round two seemed remote indeed. When the Rams used their two second round picks on offensive players, the hope to draft Lewis become a fading dream.

But the 6-foot-5 252-pound defensive end/outside linebacker from the University of Alabama did indeed fall to the LA Rams, albeit not to the huge debut that many had expected. He has seen only light usage in the Rams defense this season, primarily due to a bothersome knee that has limited him to action in just eight regular season games, and just 124 defensive snaps.

Fresh enough to carry a larger burden

Light usage has limited Lewis’ impact for the Rams’ defense thus far. And the fact that he has missed a span of four games twice this season has limited his feel for the game, interrupting his development. Two weeks after after recording his first NFL sack against the Seattle Seahawks, he was off the field for another four weeks. And yet, he flashed such brilliant potential in just 28 defensive snaps against the Seahawks in the first game.

Lewis is fresh and ready to contribute. Even in light usage, Pro Football Focus graded Terrell Lewis an impressive 70.4 for his rookie season. Lewis would like nothing better than to step up for his team and teammates in a huge game, and he could do exactly that if needed. The Rams drafted Lewis to be a future defensive star for this defense. If Aaron Donald takes fewer defensive snaps, you can look for Lewis to be happy to grab them.