LA Rams Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is ready to start on edge

The LA Rams seem to have a one-year rental program with starting EDGE rushers these past two seasons. In 2019, the pair of OLB Dante Fowler Jr and OLB Clay Matthew was solid in pass rush and in coverage. But Fowler was lured away with a huge contract by the Atlanta Falcons, while Clay Matthews was released.

No matter. In 2020 the LA Rams started OLB Leonard Floyd and OLB Samson Ebukam. Once more, the two combined for a solid pass rush and coverage. Now, once again, the duo will likely not be playing for the Rams next season. You see, both Floyd and Ebukam are likely to return to play for the Rams in 2021, as both are projected to test the NFL Free Agency market.

So what will the Rams do? Or rather, who will the Rams start? Well, if I had to lay money down, I’d wager that Ogbonnia Okoronkwo gets the nod to start in 2021.

Obo arrived at the LA Rams as a result of being the 160th overall selection from the 2018 NFL Draft from the University of Oklahoma. He is a 6-foot-2 253-pound EDGE rusher who truly filled a need for the 2018 roster.

Unfortunately, some players take time. Obo’s track to start was hindered by a foot injury in his rookie season. He began 2018 on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, essentially redshirting him for the year. In 2019, Obo once more had to fight through a hamstring injury. As a result, he appeared in just 10 games and claimed only a small rotational role on defense and special teams.

LA Rams roster has room for Obo in 2021

In 2020, Okoronkwo was once more nursing injuries. This time it was his elbow, which needed surgery. Once again, he appeared in ten games, but only claimed a small rotational role on both defense and special teams.  So how can this young man who has nursed injuries in each of his three NFL seasons be expected to start 16 games in 2021?

First of all, none of his injuries occurred to the same spot. Foot, hamstring, elbow are about as a diverse trio of injuries as possible for an edge rusher. So while his track record on durability has not been stellar, there is no evidence that he is fighting against anything but bad luck.

Secondly, he began to flash solid production before injuring his elbow against the Washington Football team. In his absence, the team added OLB Justin Hollins and teammate Samson Ebukam improved.  When he returned, it was difficult to crack the rotation well enough to find his pre-injury rhythm once more.

Much like defensive end Morgan Fox, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo visibly turned the corner in 2020. While other edge rushers struggled to endanger the opposing quarterback, Obo saw an ever-increasing number of defensive snaps opposite starter Leonard Floyd because he was able to apply pressure. While nothing is carved into stone just yet, I expect that will carry over to 2021 and allow Obo to earn a starting role for the Rams defense