Could Rams defense have more four-man fronts post-Aaron Donald?

The Rams drafted players with experience in four-man fronts. Could Chris Shula look to incorporate those looks?

The goal of the NFL Draft for the Los Angeles Rams became very clear, very quickly. With five of the team’s first six picks, including three of their four picks in the top-100 coming on defense, the goal was obvious. The Rams were rebuilding their defense.

That has really been the goal throughout the entire offseason. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris left to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. That left them to hire Chris Shula internally. Aaron Donald also retired which leaves a huge void. In free agency, the Rams signed two starting level cornerbacks in Tre White in Darious Williams. That just continued into the draft when the team selected Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kamren Kincens, Brennan Jackson, and Tyler Davis.

However, as the Rams made those picks, their defensive philosophy began to take an identity. Each player on the defensive front and pass rush had a common denominator. All were seen as players with experience or thrived in four-man fronts.

On Verse, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said in “The Beast”, “A two-year starter at Florida State, Verse played the “FOX” edge rusher role in defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s 4 -3 base scheme, standing up and rushing with his hand in the ground.”

Verse will very likely be a stand-up pass rusher on the Rams’ and it’s something that he did at Florida State. However, that versatility is worth noting, especially when you consider the other picks as well.

Said Brugler of Braden Fiske, “Fiske lined up primarily over the B-gap in defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s four-man front…He projects as a rotational three-technique with versatility to move around an aggressive front.” Fiske brings the versatility to line up as a 3T or help set the edge as a 5T. Again, the past experience in a four-man front is worth noting.

According to Brugler, Brennan Jackson, “played an edge rusher role in defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding’s 4-2-5 base scheme.” Lance Zierlein of NFL Media added, “he could become a reliable pro as a 4-3 end or 3-4 rush linebacker.”

Lastly, when it comes to Tyler Davis, Brugler said, “Davis was a versatile defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s four-man front, lining up as both a nose and three-technique.” Added Zierlein, “His motor and consistency in pressuring blockers should push him into snaps as a 4-3 nose.”

This isn’t to say that the Rams are changing to a 4-3 defense. When Shula took over as the defensive coordinator, he mentioned that the Rams would be keeping the same 3-4 structure. Said Shula,

“I think that’s a work in progress. There will definitely be elements to it. I think we’ll use a lot of the same structures. The same 3-4 structure and some of the same core beliefs, but it’s all about the players. We’re going to do whatever the players can execute at a high level where they can go out and play fast and play confident…We do want to keep an element where we want to have an identity, but we also want to have an element of unpredictability where we keep the offense guessing…It’s always going to be about the players and they are what is going to make this thing go.”

The whole 3-4 vs. 4-3 defense isn’t as relevant in today’s NFL with defenses being so fluid and matching more to what offenses are showing. The Rams don’t have the linebackers to move to a pure 4-3. However, the Rams draft picks on that side of the ball and especially on the defensive line and edge rushers should give them a lot of versatility. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more of a mixture of three and four-man fronts with a combination of three safety looks.

That versatility here is just something worth noting and certainly interesting. Verse gives them the option of rushing from a stand up or hand in the ground position. Much like Verse, Jackson gives the option of both and offers versatility as someone who could rush the passer in a 4-3 or 3-4. Davis has experience in four-man fronts, but fits in odd front roles such as a 4i. The same can be said about Fiske who brings alignment versatility.

Last season, the Rams did incorporate some four-man fronts. In Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, they lined up in a standard 4-3 on 20 percent of the defensive snaps. That was over two times as much as the year before. By the end of the year, that went down to just five percent of the season’s snaps. In fact, 20 percent of the Rams’ snaps in a 4-3 came in that Week 1 meeting against the Seahawks.

Incorporating more four-man fronts also makes sense considering the current Rams personnel without Aaron Donald. Kobie Turner is relatively smaller and isn’t a true nose tackle in a standard 3-4. Byron Young can rush standing up or with his hand in the ground. Meanwhile, Michael Hoecht isn’t a true edge rusher and would fit more as a defensive end in a four-man front as a 5T.

With Donald, the Rams are going to have to get creative, and doing so with the front looks is one way to achieve that. This could end up looking a lot like what Robert Saleh runs with the New York Jets. Last season, the Jets’ base defense was a 3-3-5 which is what the Rams primarily run as well. However, the next most frequent formation was a 4-2-5 at 19 percent whereas the Rams were more evenly split between a 3-3-5, 2-4-5, and 3-4.

At the end of the day, it’s going to be interesting to see what sort of wrinkles new defensive coordinator Chris Shula adds to the defense. The Rams have run much of the same 3-4 structures over the past four seasons with Brandon Staley and Raheem Morris. While the philosophy may lie under the same umbrella, Shula will very likely have some of his own ideas that he brings to the table.