The Los Angeles Rams’ defense will look very different in 2020 than it did last season. Gone are Eric Weddle, Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews, opening the door for younger players to step in and become starters.
The defense will also be led by a new voice with Brandon Staley taking over as the defensive coordinator, replacing Wade Phillips. The scheme is expected to be more versatile and diverse from week to week, rather than sticking to mostly the same script regardless of opponent.
With so many starting spots open, the Rams will call upon a lot of new faces to step up – as well as some veterans.
Here are seven defenders who have to play well and elevate their production in 2020.
LB Micah Kiser
Really, any of the Rams’ unproven inside linebackers could’ve been listed here, but Kiser is the likeliest to be a starter in 2020. He was in line to start next to Cory Littleton last season but a pectoral injury landed him on IR. Now, he has a clear path to that same job with Littleton gone and not much other competition on the roster.
If Kiser does become the primary inside linebacker, he’ll play a ton of snaps the way Littleton did. Last season, the Rams often had just one inside linebacker on the field at a time, using safeties as the other defender in the box next to Littleton.
Kiser will need to prove capable in coverage and against the run if he wants to play all three downs and not be pulled for someone such as Travin Howard on third down.
CB Troy Hill
Hill took over as the No. 2 cornerback last season after the Rams traded away Marcus Peters and he played surprisingly well. He was the team’s highest-graded cornerback in 2019, even ahead of Jalen Ramsey. Next season will be a real test for Hill, though.
He’ll be asked to start full-time at outside cornerback, playing on the other said of Ramsey. We know Ramsey is going to play at a high level and help lock down No. 1 receivers, but we don’t quite know which version of Hill the Rams will get next season.
He’s been inconsistent throughout his career and will need to be at his best in 2020 if the Rams defense is to take the next step. Assuming quarterbacks shy away from targeting Ramsey, Hill should see a lot of passes come his way.
OLBs Samson Ebukam and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Leonard Floyd is going to be one of the starting outside linebackers, just given the fact that the Rams gave him $10 million guaranteed. However, it remains to be seen who will be the starter on the weakside where Dante Fowler Jr. played. It could be Ebukam or Okoronkwo, or rookie Terrell Lewis could step up.
But since Ebukam and Okoronkwo each have more experience than Lewis, they carry higher expectations than the rookie. And as such, one of them will need to show they can start and contribute as pass rushers. They shouldn’t be expected to completely replace Fowler’s production, but it’s not unreasonable for Ebukam and Okoronkwo to combine for 10-12 sacks.
Whenever training camp starts, this will be a position battle to watch because of how important it is to the success of the Rams’ defense as a whole, but specifically their pass rush.
FS John Johnson
Eric Weddle is retired, which means Johnson will have to step up as the leader in the safety room. No one is doubting Johnson’s talent, but he’ll need to not only become the voice of the secondary, but also rebound from a mostly lost 2019 season due to injury.
Not to mention, he’s entering a contract year, which makes the 2020 season even more important for the fourth-year safety. He’s acknowledged the fact that he’s the oldest player in the safety room now and feels like he can help younger guys such as Taylor Rapp and Terrell Burgess after learning from Weddle last year.
On the field, Johnson has to be a ball hawk like he has been, and continue to have success locking up tight ends in man coverage.
CB David Long Jr.
Long’s expectations are different than Hill’s. He won’t be starting outside like Hill, nor will he play as many snaps. However, with Nickell Robey-Coleman gone, Long has an opening to become the nickel corner. He’ll have to beat out Terrell Burgess for that spot, but Long is a third-round pick himself and had last year to learn the system from the sidelines.
With how much the Rams utilize nickel packages, Long has a chance to play meaningful snaps and really contribute on defense. The nickel defender, whether it’s a safety or corner, is an important player because of how often he gets on the field and covers top receivers.
Long is sticky in man coverage and showed some potential last season, but now it’s time for him to step up in Year 2 as a key contributor.
DL A’Shawn Robinson
Robinson will be called upon to start right away as an incoming free agent, likely at nose tackle. He’s a stout run defender, but the Rams would love to get more pass-rush productivity out of their nose tackle next to Aaron Donald. Robinson only has five career sacks, but in the Rams’ scheme where he can move around the defensive line, he should get more opportunities to rush the passer.
We already know what we’re going to get from Donald and Michael Brockers up front, but Robinson is more of a mystery. Will he be the dominant defensive lineman the Lions saw in 2018 when he earned an 89.7 grade from PFF? Or will he simply be a space-eater who doesn’t make many impact plays?
