3 Rams debut defenders who will shine in 2021 debut

The LA Rams defense is presumed to be good in 2021, but will it be? The team’s roster did not load up with superstars from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, and yet the defense ended the year as the best defense in the NFL. It was not the who, but rather the how, that suddenly placed the Rams defenders on the map.

Nor was it a matter of facing weak offenses. The Rams faced the Seattle Seahawks (X2), the Arizona Cardinals (X2), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys (with Dak Prescott under center), the Buffalo Bill, and even the Miami Dolphins. Though some were not exactly powerhouse offenses, they were all substantially better than the Rams offense at scoring points. At least when they were before and after facing the LA Rams that is. When they faced the Rams, they may or may not have been victorious, but they were certainly put to the test.

Still, the LA Rams had the two best defensive players in the NFL in All-Pro Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. While 2020 defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was relatively new to the NFL’s ranks of setting up the defense, let’s not ignore the fact that he had two blue-chip defenders from the get-go.  In the end, it was the presence of All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the line of scrimmage and All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey in the secondary that lifted the defense to a point where deception was even doable.

After all, no defense respects play-action if they do not fear the running game.  So too, no offenses truly give a rip what the defense is doing if the offense can impose its will throughout the game. The Seattle Seahawks typically send two or three blockers after Aaron Donald on each play. Is it any wonder that the Rams were able to generate 16 sacks against QB Russell Wilson in three meetings? OLB Leonard Floyd alone accounted for seven sacks.

The LA Rams tried for years to find a complement to Aaron Donald, a player who could get to the opposing quarterback in his wake, without sacrificing anything on run defense. Floyd is that player, and so the LA Rams locked him up. Now, who will the team add to the defense in 2021? Here are three who may be new starters, but who could play major roles in 2021.