Kobie Turner is rock Rams defense leans on (and that's not changing soon)

When the Los Angeles Rams drafted Wake Forest prospect Kobie Turner in 2023, the team envisioned him as their pseudo nose tackle. In 2024, he became the versatile plug-and-play defensive lineman who lined up almost anywhere. In 2025, he found himself lining up more frequently as a defensive end.

Will the real Kobie Turner please stand up?

Affectionately known as The Conductor, Turner is all smiles off the football field. Don't be fooled by his personable stage presence. This guy comes to play. In just three seasons, he has recorded 167 tackles, 24 sacks, and 27 tackles for a loss. He even has an interception and nine pass breakups.

Turner is the glue guy for a young defense striving to get better each season. After showing up strong as a rookie, he was paired up wth defensive lineman Braden Fiske in 2024, nose tackle Poona Ford in 2025, and now defensive end Myles Garrett in 2026. While new pieces move in and out along the d-line, Turner has been the Rams' rock, doing whatever's asked and doing it well.

Kobie Turner is a Rams defender who must be extended

In the NFL there are stars, and then there are stagehands. Stars put up the numbers that fans focus on, like sacks, interceptions, tackles for loss, and pressures.

Stagehands do the necessary dirty deeds to free up stars - like helping to take on double teams, tackling consistently near the line of scrimmage, raising a big paw to force quarterbacks to throw elsewhere.

Turner is the rare combination of both star and stagehand in the Rams' defense. With each new season, he gets stronger, more experienced, and that much more effective.

Who knows, the Rams could come to regret trading away former Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse to obtain Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. But many have forgotten that Kobie Turner was the DROY runner-up in 2023 and was viewed by many analysts and coaches as the true winner that year, over Houston defensive end Will Anderson. This is still a talented young pass rush, and now Garrett, the nine-year veteran, has joined them.

LA's defense has been much better than expected in recent years, even with its struggles, and that's primarily because Turner plays elite football no matter where he lines up. That high-level versatility not only means great things for 2026, it also means that the Rams must find a way to extend him even if that requires that other young players don't get paid.

As always, thanks for reading.

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