WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – It can be easy to focus on the pass rushing opportunities for a player like Rams defensive end Kobie Turner, given he tied Aaron Donald's franchise rookie single-season sack record back in 2023. And to be clear, he still very much affects the game in that phase in 2026.

Don't discount how well he's defended the run, though, especially this season.

According to Next Gen Stats, Turner has recorded a tackle on 25.4% of his run defense snaps this season (16 of 63), the sixth-highest rate among defenders in the NFL with at least 50 snaps in that phase. Entering Week 4, Turner through three games was 41.7% of the way to matching his run defense tackle total from last season (36) on 218 fewer snaps.

"I'm super proud of how I've been playing the run, and gonna continue to try to keep that up as the season progresses," Turner said in a video conference with reporters Monday. "But yeah, I look back and I see that on tape, and a lot of times, you see the things that'll get posted all over the place. Everybody wants sacks, and obviously I want to get my sacks as well, and that time is going to come, and sacks come in bunches. ... But really, it's such a mentality thing, and I know that I'm a three-down defensive lineman."

Turner has also been reliable when he's met a ballcarrier in space: His 16 tackles without a missed tackle in run defense also rank as the most among defensive tackles and are tied for the fifth-most among all defenders league-wide, regardless of position. Turner is a defensive end on the Rams' roster, just to be clear, as a reflection of lining up along multiple different spots along the line of scrimmage, but it nonetheless reflects how effective he has been as an interior defender.

"You can pull the tape up of every play this season, and you're not going to find a lot of bad plays by Kobie Turner," defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

Turner's work as a run defender shows up in both Turner's effort and the result of the play, whether he's credited with a tackle or not.

Take a 3-yard carry by Eagles running back Will Shipley with 9:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Despite Turner's path being impeded by a combo block by the left guard and left tackle – then a tight end inserting in the A gap and replacing the left guard, who had climbed to the second level to take on a linebacker – he was still the one to make first contact and minimize Shipley's gain.

Although the timing of quarterback Jalen Hurts' handoff to running back Tank Bigsby was disrupted by a pulling right guard getting in the way three plays later, Bigsby still likely would have been met in the backfield right away because of the penetration Turner got through the B gap. Turner continued to chase Hurts as Hurts scrambled to his right and tried to make a play out-of-structure, but that rushing lane closed quickly because of Turner and safety Quentin Lake.

The next play, Philadelphia turned the ball over on downs after after incomplete Hurts pass intended for wide receiver Darius Cooper on 4th and goal from the Los Angeles 2-yard line.

"There's nothing like the run game, just like striking blocks and getting off the ball," Turner said. "I had a couple missed tackles yesterday or whatever, but it's like, to be able to just sell out for the run, to be able to (go), all right, the running back is through the gap, but what are you gonna do? And you just dive. That's some of the pure essence of football to me."

Teammates notice and appreciate those efforts, too.

"Kobie's always been the most consistent guy," said outside linebacker Byron Young, a 2023 draft classmate of Turner's. "Since I was playing with him, like out of everybody I've played with, he's always been consistent in all areas. Just being a leader, being a run stopper, being a pass rusher, and watching him take on double teams and not complain, and just every day come in and work. And yesterday that displayed it. Like, he the reason I got a TFL. He literally shut off the whole left side, and then he had to force it back, and I got the tackle."

Turner's playmaking against the run coincides with the Rams facing a Bills backfield led by quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook, both of whom have been effective runners in and out of structure.

Stopping those two isn't Turner's responsibility alone. But him maintaining that performance through Week 5 will be crucial for the Rams' defense on Monday night.