Guess what? LA Rams effectively swap a DL with Lions too

Balancing the scales

The scales of comparability between the two swapped D-linemen would appear a bit unbalanced, but here’s hoping Robinson can put together a bounce-back season for the Rams and redress the lopsidedness. The Rams can certainly use players who are comfortable at either defensive end or defensive tackle in their 3-4 front.

Of course, his health will play a significant part in that.  He missed the first half of the 2020 season, which derailed his availability.  But he did eventually return,  and if the end to the 2020 season is any indication, he will be in a much better position this year.  The Rams will need a dominating season from Robinson.

If the Aaron Donald effect is still present, Robinson is due for a career season. Where will that place him in terms of production? Well somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-60 tackles and five quarterback sacks.  Yes, if you compare, something very similar to the 2020 season that Michael Brockers just had.

If Robinson slides out to the defensive end, the 6-foot-4 330-pound powerhouse would be a formidable bookend to say the least for Aaron Donald on the other side. The Rams could flip in Greg Gaines at nose tackle and slide Sebastian Joseph Day into a pseudo-four man front for short yardage. That would be a helluva defensive line front.

But Robinson gives the Rams the flexibility to line him up over the middle as well, and now with the defensive line suddenly depleted by both Brockers and Morgan Fox, the need for Robinson to show up in a big way is no longer an option. The totals for Brockers over the past two seasons speak for themselves. Eight quarterback sacks, 114 tackles, eight tackles for losses, and 19 quarterback hits.  So far, Robinson only matches those numbers with three seasons combined.

Will the Aaron Donald effect balance the scales? It needs too. The Rams could end up with a situation similar to the one with Ndamukong Suh, where Aarond Donald has a monster season thanks to OL attention elsewhere. The Rams defensive line has lost two key players. But they will find out if their 2020 plan works a year later.