Rams relentless pass rush has found its stride at the perfect time

It all started in the 2023 NFL Draft

If the Rams were forced to rebuild the defense from scratch starting in 2024, the team would be hard pressed to make any amount of progress this season. But this team seems to be playing chess, infusing strategy over reaction, succession planning over filling holes. It was Aaron Donald who enlightened the Rams front office when they approached him about restocking the roster. His response may be as great of a legacy as his performance on the football field:

Rams GM Les Snead shared the tale with Good Morning Football host Peter Schrager:

"I'll partner with anybody. Just make sure they care."

Aaron Donald

It seems so profound, and yet, so simple. Was it a revelation for the team's scouting department, or simply confirmation to what the team and personnel executives already knew and embraced? It's difficult for me, or anyone, to compare what the game plan was for the team in the past. But from the moment that Donal spoke those words, the front office has a new compass point. And it multiple videos about the team's draft process after the fact, we can point out the team's referring to the North Star when assessing rookie prospects.

Some organizations create a mission statement that reads well on the bulletin board, but the underlying principles are so dogmatic and laden with language that it carries no meaning into the workspace. But the words of Aaron Donald carried meaning from the boardroom to the bathroom. Wrapped in those simple words was a litmus test that anyone in the organization could apply to anything they do.

When people care, they get the job done. This reads more than an individual standard, but a standard to hold the entire organization to task. So when the Rams front office selected Tennessee outside linebacker Byron Young and Wake Forest nose tackle Kobie Turner in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, some draft experts were a bit surprised. Even Rams fans who boast about their draft scouting abilities were not warm to their arrival. But by season's end, the Rams boasted two rookies who led the entire NFL with quarterback sacks in 2023. Turner clocked in with 9.0 sacks, and Young ended with 8.0 quarterback sacks

Of course, both rookies benefited from the performance and tutelage of veteran DT Aaron Donald. But he retired, and the team's pass rush faced huge question marks and few answers. But the team was still armed with two sensational rookies, the wisdom of Aaron Donald, and a front office that thinks outside the box. So 2024 was certainly a year of change.