What Brockers’ return means to Robinson and Rams D_line...

What Brockers' return means for A'Shawn Robinson and Rams D-line

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

The Los Angeles Rams appeared to find their replacement for Michael Brockers after the veteran agreed to terms with the Ravens, landing former Lions defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson. He agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Rams, joining a defensive line that featured Aaron Donald and a pair of young nose tackles, Greg Gaines and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

Fast-forward a week and it turns out the Rams don’t actually need to replace Brockers. He’s returning to Los Angeles on a three-year contract worth up to $31.5 million after his deal with the Ravens fell through. Brockers’ physical with an independent doctor raised concerns about his ankle for Baltimore, which then pulled its offer.

So what does this all mean for Brockers, Robinson and the rest of the Rams’ defensive linemen? Brockers’ return certainly gives Los Angeles a crowded defensive line, but also one that features a lot of versatile players.

Aaron Donald will remain at 3-technique, most often rushing the passer from his traditional defensive tackle position. At nose tackle, it’s likely that Robinson will replace Joseph-Day and Gaines, who were the primary contributors inside last season.

There’s no doubt Robinson has the size to play nose tackle in the Rams’ scheme – he’s 6-foot-4, 320 pounds – but his length looked like an asset at defensive end with Brockers gone. Robinson is a space-eater and a great run defender, though, which will help the Rams plug up the A-gaps.

At defensive end, Brockers will reclaim his starting spot. The Rams aren’t paying him more than $10 million a year to be a backup, nor did they give Robinson $9.5 million guaranteed to ride the bench and play behind Joseph-Day.

There are only so many snaps to go around on the defensive line, and the Rams are deep across the front with players who deserve to get on the field, but that’s not a bad thing. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley now has countless options along the defensive line.

The Rams could use a defensive line with Donald at 5-technique, Robinson at nose tackle and Brockers at 3-technique. They could also kick Joseph-Day outside to defensive end with Brockers at nose tackle and Donald at defensive tackle.

Their rotation will be deep, allowing them to keep players fresh over the duration of a game. That’s important and helps in the fourth quarter, especially when the Rams are trailing and teams are running the ball to kill the clock.

Brockers’ return will hurt the development of Joseph-Day and Gaines, since they won’t be getting nearly as much playing time as expected, but the Rams’ run defense has been upgraded with Brockers coming back – as has their depth.

After being hired, Staley emphasized the importance of versatility on the defensive front and in the secondary. He’s getting his wish with the Rams’ current group of linemen, almost all of which can play any position up front. All that’s left is to see how Staley utilizes all this talent.