Saturday Confidence Poll: Will Rams repeat as top-3 defense?

ProFootballFocus recently released their top 50 players for the 2021 NFL season, and two of the top-16 play on the LA Rams defense: Aaron Donald, ranked first overall, and Jalen Ramsey, who came in at 16th.

With the Rams also returning outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and cornerback Darious Williams, two players who could be among the top 50 in the NFL for defense, plus safety Jordan Fuller and defensive linemen Sebastian Joseph-Day and A’Shawn Robinson, there should be optimism that LA can once again be among the league’s stingiest teams in allowing points.

In 2020, the Rams improved from 17th in points allowed during Wade Phillips’ final season, to first in point allowed (18.5) in the first and only year under Brandon Staley. LA was first in DVOA, first in passing yards allowed, first in passing touchdowns allowed, first in yards per attempt allowed, first in points, yards and time of possession per drive allowed, and third in yards per carry allowed.

Had they only managed to have the same incredible postseason run as a wild card that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoyed, the LA Rams could have been lauded as having one of the greatest defenses of all time. But that’s a big “if” that was never “then”’d.

Over the 2021 offseason, the Rams saw Staley get hired as the head coach of the Chargers, plus also saw the losses of safety John Johnson, cornerback Troy Hill, defensive end Morgan Fox, and defensive lineman and veteran leader Michael Brockers. Most of those job openings have not yet been spoken for and LA made few corresponding moves.

In fact, the Rams didn’t make a single free agent signing on defense other than re-signing Floyd and applying the first round tender to Williams.

New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who actually has little experience in that role, will have many of the same players to work with that Staley did, but with those changes to figure out. They also added five rookies on defense in the draft, including third round linebacker Ernest Jones, one player who has an immediate opportunity to compete to start. I think LA’s strength of schedule could also allow for an opportunity to dominate some of the easier quarterback matchups of 2021, just as they did last season.

How confident are you that Morris can have the Rams defense back in the top-three in 2021?