Rams defense ranked No. 1 heading into 2021 season

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
Rams defense ranked No. 1 heading into 2021 season

Cameron DaSilva
August 18, 2021 10:17 am PT

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No defense in the NFL was better than the Los Angeles Rams’ last season. Brandon Staley’s unit finished first against the pass, first in total yards allowed and gave up the fewest points in the league, putting together an absolutely dominant performance on that side of the ball.


The Rams suffered some losses on defense, headlined by the departures of John Johnson, Troy Hill, Morgan Fox and Staley himself, but the expectations are still high for this group. There are two primary reasons for that: Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. While they’re not the only players to know on defense, they are the cornerstones that make this a potentially elite defense.

Adam Schein of NFL.com fully understands the losses suffered by the Rams this offseason, but he’s confident this is still the best defense in football. He ranked Los Angeles first on his list of the top nine defenses, ahead of the second-ranked Buccaneers and third-best Colts.

After raving about Donald and his chances of making it onto the NFL’s defensive Mount Rushmore, Schein pointed to Ramsey, Darious Williams and Jordan Fuller as key players on defense.

This isn’t a one-man band, either. Jalen Ramsey could be the NFL’s best cornerback, while his running mate, Darious Williams, just posted PFF’s ninth-highest CB coverage grade last season. And safety Jordan Fuller, who’s wearing the “green dot” as the Rams’ defensive signal-caller in just his second NFL season, has already proven to be an absolute steal of a sixth-round pick.

The Rams have a lot of work to do if they’re to maintain their spot as the best defense in football, but there’s no reason to believe Raheem Morris can’t have this group atop the NFL once again in 2021.

With the combination of Donald and Leonard Floyd rushing the passer (along with Sebastian Joseph-Day) and Ramsey, Fuller and Williams patrolling the secondary, throwing the ball against the Rams will be a challenge for every opposing offense.