LA Rams still have 8 crazy options to shore up defense

A Cincinnati 11 year veteran?

The Seattle Seahawks have been undergoing all the upheaval of a rebuild this year, and one veteran casualty was DL Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap was outright released. A veteran of 13 years, 11 of which were with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dunlap is one of those players who can still make a difference in the LA Rams defense.

He is 6-foot-6 and weighs 285 pounds. While he is primarily an edge rusher, he was very effective in the Seahawks defense in that hybrid pass rusher role. Over his 13 year career, he’s gotten to the quarterback 96 times, with 8.5 quarterback sacks coming in 2021. That averages out to over seven quarterback sacks per year and is a pretty good baseline to start with.

But what draws me to Dunlap for the LA Rams roster is the fact that he is simply an outstanding character on and off the football field. He makes it a point to express gratitude. He ensured that he was willing to do a team-friendly deal for the Seahawks in 2022. And he is simply there when the Seahawks needed a big stop or quarterback pressure.

The LA Rams can see the ways that the Seahawks defense made use of Dunlap, who generated 13.5 quarterback sacks in just 25 games. But in the Rams system, you would be wise to bump that production up a bit. Dunlap was a focus of offensive lineman in the Seahawks defense, but will likely be the least of opposing offenses concerns on the Rams defense.

Hey, let’s face it. The last 11 year veteran from the Cincinnati Bengals who joined the Rams organization worked out pretty well. Is there more water in that well?