No Aaron Donald? No problem for Rams as rookies lead defensive revival

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When asked about the success of the Los Angeles Rams on defense during the second half of the season, rookie safety Kamren Kinchens said it plainly.

“We’re relentless,” he said about this year’s rookie class. “Outside of the first Cardinals game, where it was kind of a lopsided score, you could see in the rest of the games we were right there. It was just about us finishing, limiting our mistakes and making sure we’re coming out on the right side, which is getting a W.”

After a 1-4 start, the Rams won nine of their last 12 games to close out the season, earning a postseason berth for a second straight year. A defensive aboutface had a lot to do with L.A.’s turnaround.

The Rams allowed 25.5 points per game and 141 rushing yards a contest through the first five weeks of the season. Those numbers included the humbling 41-10 road loss to Arizona that Kinchens referenced, in which the Rams gave up a season-high 231 rushing yards.

First-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula said the young group struggled to get its footing early on, with one of the best defensive players in NFL history having retired during the offseason. Aaron Donald made occasional appearances at the facility during the year to lift and hang out with his former teammates, but the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year had no intention of coming out of retirement.

“It was a test of who we truly were,” Shula said. “You play that game [against the Cardinals], and you were almost shocked how bad you played. To go out and put on that type of performance, it was embarrassing to be honest. To see what type of guys we are, we challenged them.”

The Rams responded to Shula’s challenge. With some self-scouting to fix things during the team’s bye week, the Rams held opponents to 17.6 points per game and 118 yards rushing a contest from Week 6 to the end of the season.

Five rookies were at the heart of righting the ship: edge rusher Jared Verse, defensive tackle Braden Fiske, undrafted defensive back Jaylen McCollough, linebacker Omar Speights and Kinchens. They combined to lead all NFL rookies in sacks (13) and tackles (304), and tied for first in interceptions (8) and forced fumbles (5).

“They are an embodiment of this team,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said about this year’s rookie class. “This is a mature group. When you look at the competitive stamina that’s been required to be in the positions that this group has put itself in and the opportunities they’ve earned … it takes resilience, a physical toughness.

“These guys are grown men, and that’s what we’re looking for. That’s why we’re able to play a style of football and really win a lot of the games the way we have, especially with the defense being such a critical factor in a lot of these games.”

A second-round selection out of Florida State, Fiske led all NFL rookies in sacks (8.5). Fellow Florida State product Verse is L.A.’s lone representative for the Pro Bowl. In the running for Defensive Rookie of the year, Verse led all NFL rookies in quarterback pressures (76) and tackles for loss (11). He also totaled 4.5 sacks and 66 combined tackles.

McCollough and Kinchens tied for the rookie lead in interceptions with four apiece.

“It’s a testament to how the Rams drafted us,” Fiske said. “Picking the right guys. When you come to the league, you have to have the right mentality. There’s going to be talent everywhere, but you have to have the right mentality to come to work. … I think we’re just getting closer and closer, and we have a lot of fun as a group.”

With Donald no longer around to serve as a one-man wrecking crew in obvious passing situations, Shula implanted a speed-rush group aptly named the “Cheetah package.” The five-man defensive line formation included versatile outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, speed rusher Byron Young, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, Verse and Fiske.

The formation allowed Shula to keep offenses guessing on which players were rushing and which were dropping, along with creating innovative ways to attack the offensive line with pressures and stunts. The Rams finished No. 10 in pressure rate at 35.6%.

“I’m going to start calling it the ‘Kitty Cat’ package for Hoecht after he told you what the name of it is,” joked McVay. “That has been something that you first saw coming out of the bye week when we really started to utilize that. … That has been a big package for us. You have to earn the right to get into it. We’ve had a lot of success out of that.”

McVay described his defense as a tough, resilient group, which bodes well as the Rams head into the postseason.

“We really just came together as a team,” said safety Kamren Curl, a free-agent addition during the offseason. “We knew what we had to fix. We had to make a decision on what type of team we wanted to be. And we made the right decision.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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