Is 2022 training camp crucial for LA Rams Coach Eric Henderson?

From modest beginnings to NFL standouts

If you look at how the LA Rams draft to restock the defensive line, you may be surprised to find that the Rams are a bit austere when it comes to drafting rookies for the defensive line. Since adding Coach Henny to the coaching staff, the Rams have drafted just two defensive linemen to the roster: Bobby Brown with the 117th pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, and Earnest Brown IV with the 174th pick from the same draft.

So where do the LA Rams get their talent? Many were signed as rookie free agents after the NFL Draft. Marquise Copeland was signed in 2019. Michael Hoecht was signed in 2020. Jonah Williams was signed in 2020. This year (2022), the LA Rams have signed Elijah Garcia and Dion Novil. Quite the range of talents, right? Well, the Rams also signed:

Sam Renner – 2020 – Now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Eric Banks – 2020 – Now playing for the Detroit Lions
George Silvanic – 2021 – TBD

Make do with who you have

The LA Rams signed A’Shawn Robinson in the 2020 Free Agency market, then re-signed both Michael Brockers and Morgan Fox. In 2021, Brockers was traded to the Detroit Lions, and Morgan Fox signed with the Carolina Panthers.  After the end of the 2020 NFL season, the Rams were ranked as the fourth-best defensive line in the NFL. After the 2021 NFL season, the Rams improved to the second-best defensive line in the NFL.

So how does he do it?

DAWGWORK Drills are the stuff of legends. The life of a defensive lineman is one of the most difficult roles in the NFL because players are required to defend… space. They must be able to hold their own against one or two (or in Aaron Donald’s case three or four) offensive linemen, await the ball carrier to make their move, then shed blockers and make the tackle. Because defenders depend upon one another, they must rely upon one another. And that is how Coach Henderson applies his techniques in a series of rigorous drills that not only improve the individual player but truly elevate the play of the entire unit.

Coach Henderson gets it. And his bar is set high to ensure that each player in his unit is giving their best effort on each and every play.