One of the reasons the Los Angeles Rams were one of the NFL’s biggest surprises last season was the contributions they got from their rookie class. While receiver Puka Nacua got a ton of love on the offensive side, defensive tackle Kobie Turner turned a lot of head on defense.
Turner led the Rams with nine sacks in his first NFL season while also adding 57 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss. He would finish third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and Sean McVay and the rest of the Rams are looking forward to him building on the immense success he had last season.
Unfortunately, things are going to start slow for Turner in training camp as McVay revealed he is dealing with a minor injury.
“Kobie Turner… he got a little bit of a groin strain when he was training,” McVay said. “We’re going to be smart with him. He partook in the walkthrough and he’s going to be in the meetings. We’re going to be smart with him.”
Groin injuries are always scary as they can linger on and be re-aggravated, which would lead to more time off being needed. As McVay said, the Rams will be smart with how they handle the situation as they can ill afford to lose Turner for any significant stretch.
Thankfully, it sounds as if the Rams are simply being cautious as McVay dismissed the notion of putting Turner on the PUP list. “No. Nothing like that,” the Rams coach added when asked about the possibility.
With Aaron Donald retired, there is even more pressure on Turner to be a force on the interior of the line. Playing next to Donald was a luxury and helped take attention away during his rookie year, but now he will be a primary focus of the opposition and the Rams need him to continue to thrive.
Moving slowly and ensuring Turner is 100% is of the utmost importance and McVay and the Rams staff are committed to making sure that is the case.
Rams rookie Braden Fiske not focused on filling Aaron Donald’s shoes
Someone else the Rams will be relying on in the absence of Aaron Donald is rookie Braden Fiske. The second-round pick is expected to immediately be a big part of the defensive line rotation, but one thing he is not trying to do, is be Donald.
In a recent interview, Fiske called Donald the GOAT, but made it clear that he is focused on just being himself and creating his own legacy. While he knows the comparisons will come, Fiske knows those are massive shoes to feel and is simply excited to contribute for the Rams in any way he can.
