LOS ANGELES – Kobie Turner began last season playing nearly every snap. While the Rams defensive end had plenty of energy on first and second downs, third downs were a different story.
"For me, my journey last year, I started off taking basically every snap and once it got to third downs, I didn't have as much juice," Turner said after Monday's practice at Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union.
If training camp practice serves as a sign of what's to come, he will have plenty of it thanks to the depth of the defensive line, in particular its interchangeable pieces.
"Now we have guys that are able to take snaps on the early downs, keep us fresh for pass rushing opportunities," Turner said. "When you see those guys get to work on pass rush as well, if me or (Braden) Fiske needed to take some of the early downs as well, you swap it out, it's interchangeable. We really have a great group of guys (that) you can plug and play whatever position."
In 2024, Turner's 792 snaps played were sixth-most among defensive linemen, per Next Gen Stats (NGS). He played 74.9% of the Rams' defensive snaps, which ranked 17th-most among all qualified defensive linemen.
Though Turner said he had less "juice" on those money downs, he still logged eight sacks for the second-straight year (second-most on the team). NGS says he had a pressure rate of 15.2% on third downs, tied with Fiske for 21st in the league among qualified defensive linemen.
That added freshness will be made possible by – among other factors – the addition of free agent signee Poona Ford and the emergence of second-year defensive end Tyler Davis, who head coach Sean McVay said will be a "major factor" for them this season.
"To be able to have guys who can hold it down like Poona, like 'T.D' (Tyler Davis), who can really own the run and who really uphold the standard that we have in that D-line room. Now we have guys that are able to take snaps on the early downs, keep us fresh for pass rushing opportunities," Turner said. "When you see those guys get to work on pass rush as well, if me or Fiske needed to take some of the early downs as well, you swap it out, it's interchangeable. We really have a great group of guys and you can plug and play whatever position."
It helps, too, that each player has positional versatility and takes ownership of whichever spot they are asked to play along the defensive line.
"I'm excited to see how that translates on the field, how that keeps us fresh, and ultimately how that ends up with us doing a better job in the run game and obviously get more sacks as well," Turner said.
