Among the notable moves that the Los Angeles Rams made this offseason was the signing of star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. His addition is expected to further boost their promising defensive unit to become one of the most daunting on that side of the ball next season.
Throughout his first eight years in the league, Suh has been able to be a major part of the puzzle for each team that has played up to this point in his career. According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, head coach Sean McVay doesn’t see that aspect changing for the 31-year-old as he confidently believes he can physically handle the large role in the defense that will lie in front of him in the 2018 NFL season:
Still, McVay referenced Suh’s track record and work ethic while stating that he would be “well equipped” to continue to handle a high workload if needed.
“Those are things that I think we’ll figure out as we get further into it,” McVay said, “but everything that you’ve heard about him with the people that have been around him, you see how conscientious he is, how disciplined he is with his offseason program — taking care of his body, eating right. Those are things that we’ve seen in this short amount of time already.”
Suh has shown no reason otherwise to believe he can’t continue to play in a significant role along the defensive line. Since entering the league, Suh has shown a tremendous amount of durability being able to take the field in every game except two as he was suspended during the 2011 season with the Detroit Lions.
The Rams are hoping he can stay on that same track by helping form a highly effective trio alongside reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers up front. Suh should have plenty of opportunities to be an effective pass rusher playing alongside arguably the best defensive player in the league while he’s still playing at a high himself at this point in his career.
Ultimately, there is no concern from Los Angeles about what type of talent they are getting in his Suh as he should be in line for another highly productive campaign that could show that he may be a long-term piece of the puzzle well beyond the 2018 season.
