{"id":189427,"date":"2025-08-31T13:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T13:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/189427\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T13:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T13:41:16","slug":"reworked-rams-defense-confident-they-can-beat-eagles-nfcs-finest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/189427\/","title":{"rendered":"Reworked Rams defense confident they can beat Eagles, NFC’s finest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Edge rusher Jared Verse<\/a> was the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year. Lineman Braden Fiske<\/a> was a finalist, following in the footsteps of 2023 finalist Kobie Turner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So the Rams<\/a> defensive front is not searching for an identity.<\/p>\n

They already have one.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one, we\u2019re young,\u201d Fiske said at the start of training camp. \u201cAnd two, we\u2019re relentless.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the addition of veteran nose tackle Poona Ford<\/a>, brought in specifically to help stop the run, the Rams are banking that the front-loaded defense can harass quarterbacks into mistakes \u2014 and prevent Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley from jetting<\/a> for long touchdown runs.<\/p>\n

The first test comes Sept. 7, when the Rams play host to the Houston Texans in the season opener at SoFi Stadium. Two weeks later, they travel to Philadelphia, where they will face Barkley and the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last season, Barkley rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 Week 12 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium. He rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles\u2019 28-22 NFC divisional-round victory at Lincoln Financial Field.<\/p>\n

Enter the 5-foot, 11-inch, 310-pound Ford, who signed a three-year, $17-million contract. He joined a front that also includes linemen Tyler Davis<\/a>, Larrell Murchison<\/a> and rookie Ty Hamilton<\/a> and edge rushers Byron Young<\/a>, Nick Hampton<\/a>, rookie Josaiah Stewart<\/a> and Desjuan Johnson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just here to add my little spice,\u201d Ford said, \u201clike seasoning to the pot.\u201d<\/p>\n

What kind of seasoning?<\/p>\n

\u201cSweet heat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams defensive tackle Poona Ford works out during training camp in July.<\/p>\n

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Ford is more than a run-stopper, defensive line coach Giff Smith<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has the ability to rush the passer,\u201d Smith said, adding, \u201cThe guy\u2019s got some wiggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The front is the strength of a defense that did not rank high statistically last season but finished strong.<\/p>\n

The Rams were 26th in total defense (353.1 yards per game), 20th in pass defense (223.1 yards per game), 22nd in rushing defense (130 yards per game) and 17th in scoring defense (22.7 points per game).<\/p>\n

The Rams had 38 sacks (tied for 21st) and 72 quarterback hits (28th).<\/p>\n

Turner, who is in line for an extension after this season, is eager to set the example.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be slacking,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t not be making plays, I can\u2019t not be producing because this group is too talented. We have way too much fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Shula begins his second season as defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s night and day,\u201d he said when asked to describe the biggest difference in himself from Year 1. \u201cIt\u2019s more of being confident in the system, confident in the guys. I think the staff\u2019s connected. … You just had a lap around the track and you understand your process, you understand what you need going into a game plan, what our guys do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rams signed inside linebacker Nate Landman<\/a> \u2014 who was elected a team captain \u2014 to team with second-year pro Omar Speights.<\/p>\n

But general manager Les Snead neither drafted or signed any defensive backs.<\/p>\n

Coach Sean McVay<\/a> said the Rams have four potential starters in cornerbacks Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobi Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr.<\/p>\n

Williams is 32, Witherspoon 30. Durant is in the final year of his rookie contract.<\/p>\n

The Rams signed Forbes, a 2023 first-round pick by the Washington Commanders, after he was released late last season. He played a few special teams snaps against the Arizona Cardinals, and then the entire game on defense against the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale.<\/p>\n

He then made major strides in the system during offseason workouts, reported to training camp with more visible upper-body strength on his slender frame.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s playing with some confidence,\u201d defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant said. \u201cIt looks like he\u2019s enjoying playing football again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forbes said he never lost confidence in his ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always very confident in my talent and my ball skills,\u201d said Forbes, who returned six interceptions for touchdowns at Mississippi State. \u201cWhen I got here they told me it was a fresh start, they don\u2019t care about what happened in Washington, it\u2019s behind us and just come over here and just be yourself and play ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety Quentin Lake<\/a> last season played every defensive snap of all 16 regular-season games he played in, and both playoff games. The second-year team captain is expected to once again line up all over the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether that is back deep, in the box, off the edge, blitzing, man, zone,\u201d Lake said. \u201cAt the end of the day, I want to be as versatile as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veteran Kamren Curl and second-year pros Kamren Kinchens<\/a> and Jaylen McCollough<\/a>, each of whom intercepted four passes as rookies last season, are the other safeties for a secondary aiming to capitalize on errors forced by the pass rush.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edge rusher Jared Verse was the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year. Lineman Braden Fiske was a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":189428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[105960,1582,276,105961,24932,9649,105959,1910,23590,2961,29246,224,5337,105962,11346,105958,58326,50647,80883,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-189427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ahkello-witherspoon","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-cobi-durant","12":"tag-forbes","13":"tag-ford","14":"tag-front-loaded-defense","15":"tag-game","16":"tag-guy","17":"tag-la","18":"tag-last-season","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-pass-defense","22":"tag-quarterback","23":"tag-rams-defense","24":"tag-sofi-stadium","25":"tag-touchdown","26":"tag-yard","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115123669940403007","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}