What's got Rams veteran DL Kobie Turner so excited about training camp?

The Los Angeles Rams drafted Tennessee outside linebacker Byron Young and Wake Forest defensive lineman Kobie Turner in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. But rather than perform like late Day 2 selections, both have stepped up and performed as though they were selected on Day 1 of the draft. Turner has been particularly productive in his first two NFL seasons, leading to his taking on the role of defensive captain as well.

But the second season of the Rams' star defensive lineman did not pan out as many had hoped. Unlike his rookie season, Turner's reputation for elite production was common knowledge around the NFL. And his workload increased dramatically. His workload increased 20 percent, keeping him on the football field for 75 percent of the defense. Per Next Gen Stats, that made The Conductor the sixth-hardest worked defensive lineman in the NFL

With a heavier workload and more double teams, Turner's quarterback sack numbers declined from 9.0 in 2023 to 8.0 in 2024. So, do the Rams have a way to turn his numbers back in a positive direction?

Rams add interchangeable roles on defensive front

The Rams defense is the brainchild of new DC Chris Shula. And Shula seemed to get more out of his defense at season's end than many fans thought possible. Still, after rapidly improving throughout the season, the team struggled to shut down Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

And the fact that Kobie Turner was double teamed so frequently last season didn't help.

For Turner, the challenge was about staying fresh. It's tough to defeat a constant wave of double-teams on every down. Thankfully, the Rams have developed a sound strategy to keep defenders fresh this season.

"For me, my journey last year, I started off taking basically every snap and once it got to third downs, I did not have as much juice,

Now we have guys that are able to take snaps on the early downs, keep us fresh for pass rushing opportunities. When you see those guys get to work on pass rush as well, if me or (Braden) Fiske needed to take some of the early downs as well, you swap it out, it is interchangeable. We really have a great group of guys (that) you can plug and play whatever position."

Kobie Turner.

So, what has really changed?

With the addition of NT Poona Ford, drafted DL Ty Hamilton, and the development of second-year DL Tyler Davis, the Rams' defensive line has a solid group of versatile and interchangeable parts for 2025. While Ford will likely spend much of his time as the nose tackle, he has enough power and quickness to line up anywhere.

That gives the Rams a solid six+ defensive linemen for a rapid rotation as training camp gets underway, with more talent to be discovered in the days ahead. If the Rams can shed some defensive snaps from Turner, his production will likely increase from being stronger and fresher on a play-by-play basis.

What's got Rams veteran DL Kobie Turner so excited about in training camp? From the sounds of it, he is thrilled to be part of a deep and talented defensive line. And if The Conductor is thrilled this early, Rams fans should be as well.

Thanks for reading.

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