LA Rams: DL Greg Gaines poised for a career-high season

The LA Rams defensive line will certainly have a new look in 2021. You see, the Rams will no longer benefit from the presence of the venerable defensive lineman Michael Brockers, who was traded away in the off-season for almost no return. The defensive line will not benefit from the production of up-and-coming NFL sack-master Morgan Fox, who has signed on with the Carolina Panthers for a tidy sum of money.

Those events have left the LA Rams defensive front with a bit of a void in terms of production.  So let’s start assembling a list of names from the roster who could up their game and recoup some of the team’s lost production for 2021. For starters, we know that Sebastian Joseph Day has quietly improved each season, and 2021 will likely be his career-best year for several reasons. For starters, he was one of the Rams’ most dependable staters last year. Perhaps even more importantly, Joseph Day is in the last year of his rookie contract. Quite frequently, veterans have career years when they play for their next contract.

For now, let’s take a look at the other guy who is quietly improving, defensive lineman Greg Gaines. While he is a rather stout defensive lineman at 6-foot-1 and 312-pounds, he is making great strides for the team’s defensive line. After his 134th selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Gaines has appeared in 26 NFL games.

Gaines earned more playing time

He can play multiple defensive line positions, but he is ideally suited to play close to the offensive nature due to his shorter stature. A bit of a fireplug, he is difficult to move off his mark, even in a double-team. Still, do not make the mistake of underestimating his agility.

Los Angeles Rams

He proved his cat-like prowess on several plays in 2020 that have forced me to reconsider his full upside potential. To see what I mean, his Pro Football Focus grade for the 2020 regular season came in at a respectable 65.0.  But in the NFL Playoffs, he was a completely different player and vaulted his production to an eyebrow-raising grade of 75.2.

So why hasn’t he shown up yet? Well, the Rams have a rather robust defensive line roster, and Gaines has been coming up with a smaller portion of available defensive snaps. In 2019, he played just 183 snaps but generated 13 tackles and 0.5 quarterback sacks. In 2020, he played 201 defensive snaps, resulting in 18 tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks.

He truly showed up against the Green Bay Packers, where he converted 26 defensive snaps into two tackles and one tackle for a loss. But he was effective in that game even when he wasn’t making the tackle, forcing the Packers’ stable of running backs to opt towards a secondary rushing lane and into the waiting arms of a teammate.

That gutsy performance by Gaines certainly caught my eye and should prod the coaching staff to give him more opportunity to replicate those heroics in the 2021 NFL season. More opportunities, and a more mature player, are a solid recipe for a breakout season. Keep an eye on Gaines this year, because he could play a significant role towards the Rams’ defense reclaiming the NFL’s Top-spot this year.