LA Rams: 5 reasons to believe defense will play well in Week 7

Reason 4: The LA Rams defense is very young and developing

How many starters for the LA Rams defense are NOT playing on a rookie contract? They are defensive linemen Aaron Donald and A’Shawn Robinson, linebacker Leonard Floyd, and defensive back Jalen Ramsey. That means that seven of the 11 starters on defense are very young and still developing, still improving.

That means that the coach who is trying to herd everyone into the same mindset cannot just be someone who barks orders. Rather, they need to be a mentor, a true coach/teacher type who focuses on fixing a process than ridiculing a player. That is what the LA Rams have in Raheem Morris, and that is what head coach Sean McVay loves about having him in charge.

It takes time to incubate talent in the NFL. And even after young players take the football field, they need time, patience, and experience to improve to the next level. We know that the LA Rams have shown the patience and acumen to develop NFL caliber talent, even some of the best in the league, from the modest beginnings of late draft selections and even from the ranks of undrafted players.

We’ve talked about the team’s defense being reinforced by young players coming online through the course of the season. But what of the young players in their second, third, or fourth year in the NFL? Players like Sebastian Joseph Day, Greg Gaines, Jordan Fuller, Kenny Young, Justin Hollins, Terrell Lewis, and even Taylor Rapp. Young players, who have not had the luxury of playing in the same defensive scheme for two consecutive seasons? They will settle in as the season advances, and peak about the time that the Rams prepare to compete in the post-season.