Transforming LA Rams defense to 4-3 could solve these 3 nagging problems

Yes, the LA Rams lost rookie defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who has since agreed to become the new head coach of the LA Chargers. While that defection was not ideal, the fact that he is recruiting Rams linebackers’ coach Joe Barry to join him is double trouble. Not only are the LA Rams facing a roster with too few inside linebackers, and too little known about their outside linebackers, but the two best coaches on the staff to resolve the matter are gone.

Of course, events have placed the Rams back into the market of hiring a new defensive coordinator.  And the team quickly zeroed in on a popular name in Raheem Morris, who was most recently the interim head coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Now as the Rams’ new defensive coordinator, his arrival reopens the debate over the virtues of a 4-3 defense versus a 3-4 defense.

Under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have only known the 3-4 defense. That is the defense that former defensive coach Wade Phillips favored, as it was a better pass defense in his opinion. But the 3-4 brings with it very specific types of defenders. Outside linebackers need to be extremely gifted at all aspects of football. They set the edge, turn running play inwards, defend against the pass and rush the quarterback. In a 3-4, the odd front allows the defense to send a fourth pass rusher from either side and in doing so, have a better chance of getting to the quarterback.

But if the truth is told, it may be time for the LA Rams to embrace the shift to a 4-3 defense. The Rams are overflowing with a surplus of talent at defensive line, and are scrambling to fill the roster with competent linebackers. And while the Rams are still in the process of setting team needs for 2021 and filling coaching spots, the team is back to the starting point in terms of how they will address the defense. So it’s an ideal time to shift to a 4-3. In fact, there are three nagging problems that can be solved by doing so.

Aaron Donald needs help

2020 was intended to be the year where the Rams found a way to take some of the burden off their star defensive lineman Aaron Donald. While Donald certainly had a great season in 2020, how much of it was his doing, and how much of it was the defensive scheme of Staley?

While it was clear that Donald was in the best shape of his football career this season, the defense around Donald seemed to peak at about the midpoint. The Rams saw action out of rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis in just three games. Combine that with the Rams getting just eight games out of free-agent defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, and you can see why the defense left some money on the table.

And the wear and tear are beginning to frustrate the Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. His tearful moment after the Rams lost to the Packers was not about not winning one game. It was the realization that, despite his tireless efforts all season, it ended in one game. And there was nothing his injured body could do to prevent it. He played injured because many believed that a partially effective Donald was the best chance that the Rams had to win.

With a 4-3 defense, the Rams will have four big bodies on the line of scrimmage.  So the downside of Donald on the sidelines is minimized. After all, the Rams could get a solid pass rush from a defensive front of Michael Brockers, Sebastian Joseph-Day, A’Shawn Robinson, and Terrell Lewis.  And for what it’s worth, the Rams have plenty of defensive linemen ‘waiting in the wings’ so to speak. So converting to a 4-3 would allow the Rams more opportunity to distract blockers from Aaron Donald, and give him a better chance of rushing the quarterback.

Rams are running out of inside linebackers

The Rams started the season with just four players earmarked to play inside linebacker in their 3-4 defense, and by the time that the season ended, just two were healthy. While the Rams certainly do play plenty of defensive sub-packages, the fact that they fielded the bare minimum to play their base defense was short-sighted.

If the Rams preferred to run a 3-3-5 or a 3-2-6 defense, then do so and stockpile the appropriate players and positions on the roster. But the Rams seemed to have played themselves throughout the entire season. Despite a 3-4 defensive alignment, one that calls for three defensive linemen, three or four linebackers, and four to six defensive backs, the Rams had a small army of defensive linemen at the ready.

Yes, some contributed on special teams. But linebackers are better suited for open field tackling on coverage teams. And the Rams were not nearly as deep at defensive backs nor linebackers as defensive linemen on their developmental practice squad. The Rams currently have four players signed to a reserve/futures contract. They are Eric Banks, Marquise Copeland, Michael Hoecht, and Jonah Williams. Only one linebacker, Christian Rozeboom is signed to a reserve/futures contract.

The team is running out of inside linebackers, simply because the team does not invest in inside linebackers.  The Rams had invested one late draft pick on the position in each of the past two years. But in the process of cutting those rookies to re-sign them to the practice squad, other teams have scooped them up in two consecutive seasons.

The Rams allowed the linebacker position to fall to critical mass because linebackers coach Joe Barry was able to replenish the ranks the following season from developmental ranks. But the pipeline is exhausted once more. And the Rams do not have enough players on the roster to play a 3-4 defense next year.

Run defense gets a boost

Let’s not create problems where there are none. The Rams had a very good run defense in 2020. But when the Rams needed to make a stop against the Green Bay Packers, they couldn’t.  Plain and simple. Sure, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns. That was a given. He’s going to get his yards in a playoff game.

But the Rams defense, as stout and as good as it was, made it too easy for him. In a game where the Rams needed their best defensive effort, they got their worst. The Green Bay Packers ran roughshod over the Rams, figuratively and literally.  By the final gun, the Packers put up 188 rushing yards on 36 carries.  That was good enough for a 5.2-yard rushing average. And the Packers rushed for two touchdowns on the ground.

The Packers used a running back by committee approach to keep the Rams defense off balance the entire game. Aaron Jones rushed 14 times for 99 yards. Jamaal Williams rushed 12 times for 65 yards. Even rookie A.J. Dillon rushed six times for 27 yards. No fumbles. In fact, flawless offense. The Packers punted just twice in the entire game.

Get bigger, get better

The Rams defensive front was simply too small to defend the rush.  The Rams tried to counter by getting some bigger bodies on the defensive line. A’Shawn Robinson played 15 defensive snaps and recorded two tackles. Greg Gaines played 19 defensive snaps, and also recorded two tackles. Michael Brockers played 60 snaps and recorded eight tackles. Sebastian Joseph Day played 48 defensive snaps and recorded six tackles. Injured Aaron Donald played 40 defensive snaps and recorded one tackle.

The problem was that the Rams rotated big bodies. What if the Rams have a defensive front of Brockers, Gaines, Robinson, and SJD to throw at the Packers to halt the rushing attack. Yes, the Packers offensive line is very solid, but for much of the game, they had options where they were double teaming the Rams.

While there are no certainties about the Rams defensive configuration in 2021, the current roster certainly seems to favor a 4-3 defense. And with a new defensive coordinator onboard who happens to have an extensive background in that, it could likely happen this year.