The Los Angeles Rams surprised a lot of people with their performance in the 2023 season. In what was looked at as a reset year, they were able to earn a Wild Card spot and make the postseason.
Looking to build upon that success in 2024, there will be some challenges to overcome. The biggest is the loss of star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The future Hall of Famer opted to call it a career this offseason, deciding to retire from the NFL.
Replacing a player of that caliber is an impossibility. He was a one-man wrecking crew in the trenches, taking on double and triple-teams with regularity. No matter how many people were assigned to stop him, he would still produce at a high level.
With training camp right around the corner, the biggest battle that will ensue for the Los Angeles Rams is at defensive tackle. Finding who will replace Donald is the most important thing to keep an eye on in the opinion of Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report.
“The real test will be when padded practices start. The Rams will have to find a combination of players on the inside who are going to be able to hold up at the point of attack in addition to making plays.
There’s not a lot of experience in the room. Bobby Brown III is one of the most experienced players entering his fourth year, but he’s just 23 years old,” Ballentine wrote.
There is some optimism for the Los Angeles Rams in this positional group. Kobie Turner had a strong rookie season with nine sacks, eight tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. We will see how much of that was a product of playing alongside Donald.
The team also used a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Braden Fiske. He was the collegiate teammate of their first-round pick, Jared Verse at Florida State.
There are certainly pieces to get excited about in the trenches for the Los Angeles Rams defensively. But it will take a total team effort to even get close to replicating the impact that Donald has provided in the middle of their defense for the past 10 years.
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