The rams looking for sacks beyond Donald, Floyd

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IRVINE, Calif. (AP) You can’t have enough passing rushers in the NFL.

Sure, the Los Angeles Rams have the most disruptive interior defensive lineman in the game with Aaron Donald and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who signed a four -year contract worth $ 64 million after getting 10 1/2 sack in his first season with the team, to get after the quarterback. But finding complementary pieces around them was an emphasis during training camp.

If we can go out and make memorable plays, plays that make a difference in the game to help us win football games, that’s all I’m here for and all I care about, said new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

With Donald and Floyd each keeping training on Wednesday to rest, the Rams still put pressure from the likes of defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day and outside linebackers Justin Hollins and Obo Okoronkwo.

This is what coach Sean McVay expects to see in the absence of two standing defenders.

Sebastian Joseph-Day, when Aarons isn’t there, lets raise your level of play. When Leonard Floyd wasn’t there, Justin Hollins let you raise your level of play, McVay said. This is really another opportunity for some of the other human core members to grow stronger when some of the leaders are missing.

It’s also a welcome sign for a team that has lost its third, fourth and fifth top sack maker since last season, taking 14 combined quarterback takedowns with them.

Morgan Fox, who has a six-sack majority as an expert in haste on the side that obviously passes situations, signed with Carolina as a free agent. Michael Brockers, a longtime presence on the defensive line with five sacks, was traded to Detroit to help the Rams fall under the salary cap. Samson Ebukam, who had 4 1/2 sacks as a starting outside linebacker opposite Floyd, signed with San Francisco as a free agent.

But if Joseph-Day, Hollins and Okoronkwo could carry out their camp efforts on a regular basis, it would seem to be able to address all of those departures.

Hollins gets the first chance to replace Ebukam. He had 28 tackles and three sacks last season after claiming off waivers from Denver in September, and McVay identified Hollins before training camp as someone he was excited to see after an offseason with the Rams.

I think Justin Hollins was someone who used all the things he did really well last year and he really continued to develop and grow, McVay said.

Okoronkwo has shown that he can speed the pass to Oklahoma, and he can enter Foxs ’specialist role in his fourth season.

But the most intriguing development is the view that Joseph-Day can consistently generate pressure. A sixth round draft pick in 2018 from Rutgers, he was used as a run-stuffer in his first two seasons with the Rams.

Joseph-Day was determined to be a more complete player, so he put in the necessary work to come up with pass rush moves.

Learning the game, learning other players and offseason things, Joseph-Day said. Lots of time. Not trying to brag to myself, but lots of time, lots of time.

With Donald’s usual drawing of double teams in the opponent’s protection scheme, this creates one-on-one opportunities for whoever lines up next to him. The Brockers are one of the beneficiaries, having totaled 13 1/2 sacks in his last four seasons with the Rams.

Joseph-Day could have done the same if he now had the skills to take advantage of favorable matchups, and Donald was impressed with the preliminary results.

He just keeps getting better, Donald said. He had a large body, a strong man who could do everything. He becomes more confident and you are more confident, you have tough people to try to block.

NOTE: Rookie WR Tutu Atwell trained for the first time Wednesday after appearing on the COVID-19 reserve list. Most Rams offensive and defensive linemen and outside linebackers wear protective padding that covers the top of their helmets. McVay said it was a precaution after quarterback Matthew Stafford hit his right thumb with a helmet on Monday. It only ends with quarterbacks finishing at the top dropping helmets, it will definitely soften and you don’t have to worry, ‘Did our quarterback break his finger? and things like that, McVay said.

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