Breaking: Rams Closing In On Deal To Lure $9.80 Million 6-Time Pro-Bowler To Los Angeles As Aaron Donald Replacement
The Los Angeles Rams, who recently lost Aaron Donald, are suffering in the trenches. Could seasoned lineman Calais Campbell close the gap left by Donald?
The Los Angeles Rams will start a season without a Hall of Fame defensive tackle commanding the attention of offensive coaches throughout the league for the first time in ten years. Los Angeles won’t be able to fully recover from the departure of defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
But he might begin to lessen his loss through free agency. After signing left guard Jonah Jackson, keeping right guard Kevin Dotson, and adding two starting cornerbacks and safety Kamren Curl to the secondary, the Rams have already made significant spending purchases.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Los Angeles commit a significant amount of money on defense, either the 19th overall pick or some of its $14 million in available salary space.
The Rams sign former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Calais Campbell in an effort to pair remaining free players with suitable landing destinations.
A Los Angeles Rams squad that could use assistance all along the defensive line would benefit greatly from Campbell’s ability to play both inside and outside, according to Pizzuta. “Campbell lived on the brink a lot with Atlanta. For the majority of the later half of his career, he has been roughly evenly split between the interior and the edge.
That adaptability might end up being a crucial part of Chris Shula’s plans as defensive coordinator. Los Angeles is in dire need of assistance on the outside as well as the inside, having badly missed having a substantial outside presence. Although Byron Young, a rookie, had a strong game, the team shouldn’t count on him to be their top edge rusher going into 2024.
Entering his 38th season, Campbell has maintained a consistently high standard of play despite his advanced age. Pro Football Focus rated him as the eighth-best edge rusher because of his performance against the run, as he recorded 6.5 sacks and 17 hits with win rates for the position that were league-average.
Pizzuta wrote, “Signing Campbell would help make everyone else’s jobs easier.” “Placing him next to Kobie Turner would cause problems for the opposing interior linemen and would keep the edge rushers among the players in the league who are least likely to be double-teamed, just like they were the previous season.”
Campbell possesses the skill set to work well with Los Angeles’ defense whether he’s clogging spaces between the tackles, playing on the edge in a “big base” package, or taking on a more conventional pass-rushing position.
Although the Rams’ revamped defense is already more capable than it was a season ago, strengthening the trenches will be crucial to Campbell’s hopes of winning a Super Bowl in the latter stages of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s career.
