Breaking: Rams Strengthen Their Young Defensive Line by Signing a 16-year star
The Los Angeles Rams lost not just a defensive juggernaut on Sundays but also one of the most influential team captains for the remainder of the week with Aaron Donald’s retirement. The issue appears even worse when you consider the passing of Eric Henderson, one of the football team’s most renowned defensive line coaches.
The Rams front five will currently consist of two rookies, two sophomores, and a rotation of players with little to no NFL football experience.
The Rams leaned toward the secondary in free agency, acquiring three seasoned players at cornerback and safety, but they utilized their first two draft selections to try to fill the void left by Donald’s departure. The Rams added no veteran players to their defensive line in the process.
Does the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line need more experience?
Calais Campbell, a highly skilled free agent, is still available for the Rams to select. The 37-year-old recently concluded a one-year, $7 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played in his 16th season of professional football.
Although most people find aging to be detrimental, Campbell showed to be an eternal talent. He tied for second place with seven sacks and led the Falcons in quarterback pressures with 42 in the previous campaign. With 36 stoppages, he also had the finest run defense season in five years and the 10th-highest run defense grade among edge rushers according to PFF. They served as the team’s leaders as well.
Last season, Campbell participated in 62.5 percent of defensive snaps, ranking seventh among all Falcons.
In addition to demonstrating last season that he still had plenty of gas left in the tank and the endurance to play through 17 games, the 6’8″, 282 lbs. former second-round choice would also contribute his 8870 career snaps to an extremely inexperienced Los Angeles Rams defensive line.
Throughout his career, Campbell has racked up 865 tackles, 175 tackles for loss (tied for fourth most in history with Aaron Donald), 105.5 sacks, 58 passes defended, and three interceptions.
