The defensive line was a major strength of the Rams last season, particularly in the playoffs when A’Shawn Robinson turned into a dominant run stopper. Robinson, along with Aaron Donald and Greg Gaines, gave the Rams one of the best defensive fronts in football.
And when you include edge rushers such as Leonard Floyd and Von Miller, it was a front no offense wanted to face. Miller’s departure hurts, of course, but Gaines is confident in the guys the Rams still have.
He believes they’ll have the best defensive line in football this season, which is very possible.
“Honestly, I feel like we’re gonna have the best D-line in the league,” Gaines said this week. “We got some really good, good guys on the D-line. We got Aaron Donald, A’Shawn Robinson, Leonard Floyd and Justin Hollins. It’s gonna be a fun crew. We’re gonna have a really good time out there.”
Gaines’ emergence as the starting nose tackle was a major reason for the Rams’ steady improvement as the year went on. Sebastian Joseph-Day’s injury was believed to be devastating for the Rams, but Gaines stepped up and may have actually been an upgrade – both against the run and as a pass rusher.
He’ll remain in that spot this year with Joseph-Day joining the Chargers in free agency, so not much is changing up front for the Rams. And it’s reasonable to think that Gaines and Robinson will continue to improve in their second seasons as full-time starters in Los Angeles.
