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After defensive offseason, pressure is on for coordinator Chris Shula
First-year DC Chris Shula has tools needed for success. He won’t have many excuses if his unit falls flat in 2024.
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First-year DC Chris Shula has tools needed for success. He won’t have many excuses if his unit falls flat in 2024.
By JB Scott May 13, 2024, 11:37am CDT
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73344181/usa_today_17694869.0.jpg "NFL: Super Bowl LVI-Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals")
While known in previous years for making splashy moves and headlines, the Los Angeles Rams kept a much more low profile this offseason. They continued their investment along the interior of the offensive line as they embrace a more physical brand of football on offense. On defense, they will journey into a world post-Aaron Donald’s retirement and spent free agency and the NFL Draft restocking the cupboard of talent.
How did the Rams’ defense change over the offseason?
OUT: DE Aaron Donald, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, DB Jordan Fuller, DB John Johnson, DE Jonah Williams
IN: OLB Jared Verse, DE Braden Fiske, DB Kamren Curl, CB Darious Williams, DB Kamren Kinchens, CB Tre White, OLB Brennan Jackson, DT Tyler Davis
I’m personally not sure anyone is giving the weight of Donald’s retirement the full credit it deserves. Los Angeles lost one of the most impactful defensive players we’ve ever seen. He’s been the sole focus of opposing offensive coordinators for the past decade, and someone teams rarely ever left blocked one-on-one.
The Rams are losing a lot of snaps played by Witherspoon, Fuller, Johnson, and Williams; however, the reinforcements brought in are younger and probably more talented overall. While there may be step backs in the short-term, the longer view on these players could very well be more favorable—though it’s easy to feel optimistic about offseason moves generally.
The combination of Byron Young and Jared Verse should give the Rams their most formidable set of edge rushers in some time along with the potential of longevity. While Young and Verse might not ever be as productive as Von Miller and Leonard Floyd were during the team’s playoff stretch and victory in Super Bowl LVI, Young and Verse are at least together for the next three seasons if not longer. LA looks to have finally solved their void at edge rusher that they’ve had since Miller darted to the Buffalo Bills during the 2022 free agent period.
Curl and Williams bring experience and professionalism to the secondary, and should be stabilizing forces on an otherwise young defensive unit. White brings a similar skillset to the table, though his recent injury history is a major red flag. Nearly any production the Rams get out of the veteran corner should be viewed as a bonus. I think there’s a reasonable chance he never starts a game for the team, or if he does he might not play at the level we’ve come to expect from the top of his game. The bottom line is that Witherspoon isn’t much of a loss, and the Rams still have Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, and Quentin Lake on the roster. If Williams is a solid starter and the White signing busts, the defense is probably still improved at corner overall from 2023.
I also like the selection of Kinchens in the third round, though it’s fair to have concerns regarding his athletic profile. We’ve seen the Rams find diamonds in the rough at safety later in the draft, though their earlier picks at the position haven’t necessarily panned out.
View: https://x.com/tkyles39/status/1773434536459735489
Terrell Burgess was also a third round pick. He impressed as a rookie under Brandon Staley in 2020 before suffering a serious ankle injury. His performance never returned to what we saw from him in his debut, and he was sooner after cut and is still bouncing around the league as a depth player.
While Taylor Rapp—taken in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Washington—should be considered a “hit”, he was labeled more of a high-floor player and solid starter than impact contributor or star player during the draft process. There was time he missed with injuries, but when he was healthy he mostly started and was steady for the Rams over his time in Los Angeles.
Can Kinchens be the best safety the Rams have drafted under Snead in recent history?
Why Chris Shula is among the most important Rams in 2024:
The Rams spent the 2023 offseason embracing their identity as an offensive-minded football team under Sean McVay, and they asked then-defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to figure a lot out on the defensive side of the ball. After losing the likes of Leonard Floyd, Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Nick Scott, etc. Morris was able to hold together a middle-of-the-road, patchwork defense that was just good enough to help keep the Rams in the playoff race.View: https://x.com/TheShineTheory/status/1783955940649415001
After clearly prioritizing the defense this offseason, first-year DC Chris Shula’s unit must show improvement over what Morris’ group accomplished last year. The defense can’t be “just good enough” in 2024, they’ll need to be the reason Los Angeles wins a game here and there. That’s good news for an offense that at times was left out to dry by the defense a year ago, though the offense won’t have many new starters other than LG Jonah Jackson and TE Colby Parkinson.
Outside of injuries—which can always be an excuse in the NFL if you let it be one—Chris Shula is likely out of reasons why his defense shouldn’t be successful this year. Fair or not, there is pressure on him to perform in 2024 with a new crop of talent under his control.
Will we see the Rams defense take another step forward after an influx of talent and under Shula’s stead?
