NT Poona Ford gives Rams defensive front depth chart new run-stuffing resolve

While the Los Angeles Rams have lost two nose tackles in Bobby Brown III signing with the Carolina Panthers and Neville Gallimore signing with the Indianapolis Colts. In response, the Rams have added former Los Angeles Chargers Nt Poona Ford. The front office was not done, as the team did manage to squeeze in DL Larrell Murchison in on a one-year deal.

If you want to review the Rams free agency moves so far, you are more than welcome to visit our Ramblin Fan Free Agency Tracker. But as it comes to the Rams' defensive front, changes are most certainly afoot.

Does it all balance out? Have the Rams somehow regressed? Or did the Rams' sneaky-good moves this offseason put some oomph in the team's ability to stuff the run?

How can we tell?

One of the methods is simply to sit back and await the 2025 NFL season and see how it all works out. But that is six months away, and unless we find a mantra that will calm us throughout the entire summer months, we will need another way of predicting how well the Rams will perform against the run in 2025.

While more moves are due to the entire Rams roster, why not put up the projected Rams defensive front, and incorporate the run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus where possible? That should put some sense of how well (or poorly) the Rams roster can stuff the run in 2025. So the Rams depth chart on the defensive line is:

• Defensive end - Braden Fiske (39.9) | Desjuan Johnson (68.0) | David Olajiga (50.1 - preseason)
• Nose Tackle - Poona Ford (78.8) | Tyler Davis (50.3) | Jack Heflin (52.0 - preseason)
• Defensive tackle - Kobie Turner (73.8) | Larrell Murchison (47.8 - preseason)

Players not returning - Bobby Brown III (67.7), Neville Gallimore (47.8)

If you've been desperate for the Rams to upgrade the run defense, you are in luck. That is exactly what the team has done. Better still, Poona Ford's pass rush grade of 71.1 is nothing to sneeze at. While the Rams have upgraded the run defense, Ford continues the strong tradition of getting after the quarterback as well.

With his ability to flourish on all three downs, the Rams will likely only rotate Ford out to give him a rest. That ability to dominate in both run-stuffing and pass rush adds a new dimension to a defense that had platooned former NT Bobby Brown on passing downs.

The 2025 NFL Draft is loaded with talented defensive linemen. And the Rams have lost both Christian Rozeboom and Jake Hummel to free agency. The team has an opportunity to land a talented inside linebacker in the draft as well.

If you are still alarmed about the state of the Rams run defense, take heart. GM Les Snead has already gotten a beachhead of improving that for 2025. And more opportunities to improve further await the team.

The Los Angeles Rams roster is not filled just yet. But the addition of Poona Ford already shows signs of making a huge difference for the team.

As always, thank you so much for reading.

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