It seemed like the Rams sunk a lot of money into the defensive line this offseason by re-signing Michael Brockers after already landing A’Shawn Robinson in free agency. However, they’re lucky they were able to retain Brockers after his deal with the Ravens fell through.
Robinson will be out for an undetermined period of time and won’t return until “some point this season,” according to Sean McVay. It was surprising news shared by the coach on his Sunday conference call, with very little detail being shared.
Assuming Robinson is out for at least a few weeks during the season, the Rams will have to find a replacement for him on the defensive line, specifically at nose tackle. Fortunately, it’s one of the deepest position groups and the Rams have two viable replacements on the interior.
Here’s what McVay said about Robinson.
“He’s doing really well, he’s going to be able to partake in meetings, get treatments, be around his teammates and then we’ll look forward to being able to get him back at some point this season,” he said. “When that is – don’t know specifically. I think a lot of positives came out of this, we were able to identify something and most importantly, look out for the player’s best interest, but he’s going to be around and I know that he’ll be excited about when he can return to action.”
First and foremost, Sebastian Joseph-Day should get a chance to fill in at nose tackle, just as he did last season after Ndamukong Suh left in free agency. Joseph-Day started 15 games and played in all 16 last year, making 44 tackles with two sacks and five QB hits.
He looked plenty capable as a starter, which made the signing of Robinson somewhat surprising for Los Angeles. Joseph-Day possesses great size and length at nose tackle, but he’s also athletic and quick enough to make tackles outside of his gap assignment.
He’s also a better pass rusher than he gets credit for, even though he had just two sacks. Nose tackles aren’t supposed to put up big sack numbers, and even Brockers has only averaged 2.8 sacks per year as a 3-4 defensive end since 2017.
The other option for Los Angeles is Greg Gaines, a 2019 fourth-round pick. The Rams moved up to draft him last year, showing a great deal of faith in the young nose tackle. At 6-foot-1, 312 pounds, he’s shorter and squattier than Joseph-Day, but he’s a good run defender and fits the mold of a true 3-4 nose tackle.
Gaines was likely third on the depth chart at nose tackle before Robinson went down, but he should see a bump in playing time this season if Robinson is out for a long stretch.
Robinson’s situation is obviously disappointing and somewhat concerning, the Rams are in a good spot to replace him in the starting lineup. They have the talent and depth across the line to make up for his loss, and it certainly helps that Aaron Donald remains one of the best defenders in the NFL.
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