Tyler Davis is a promising third-year breakout candidate on the defensive line for the Los Angeles Rams. He’s one of the most well-rounded interior players for LA and is a sure-handed tackler.
While Davis is a lesser known name by fans, his role grew notably last season. He’s potentially in store for even more playing time in 2026. Let’s evaluate what he brings to the table and why he’s a strong complement to the starting trio in Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske.
Davis is the most important Ram you never hear about
Turner is clearly LA’s best interior defensive lineman. He is stout in the run game and even more effective as a pass rusher. Turner easily led LA in snap count of the interior group with 896.
His primary running mates—Poona Ford and Braden Fiske—have well-defined roles.
Ford is primarily on the field for run support. Of Ford’s 626 total snaps, 45% came against the run. While he was on the field for mostly passing plays, injuries to Fiske may have played a role in this mix. If Fiske has a clean bill of health into the upcoming season, I’d imagine that Ford will play less often on passing downs.
Despite battling multiple injuries across the 2025 season, Fiske ended up playing more snaps overall than Ford. Through two seasons, Fiske has not yet developed a run defender. He’s a clear pass rush specialist and is one of LA’s best penetrating players along the interior. Compared to Ford, only 32% of his snaps came in run defense.
And then this brings us to Davis. While Ford and Fiske serve primary functions on the defense, Davis can do it all at a competent level. His 561 snaps were almost divided evenly between run defense and pass rush with a 51% run rate. Davis finished with 19 pressures compared to Ford’s 34 despite having 20% fewer pass rushing opportunities.
Davis is also one of the most sure-handed tacklers on the Rams’ defense. He ranked fourth among all NFL defensive linemen. He missed just 3.7% of his opportunities to bring down ball carriers.
The Rams increased Davis’ playing time by 59% from 2024 to 2025. His usage climbed from 354 snaps to 561, and he earned more looks to rush the passer. As a rookie he was tasked with run defense more often.
Davis is already one of the best Rams that we don’t talk about enough. His usage could increase even more in 2026 and he’s in store to be one of the team’s breakout candidates. Can Tyler Davis make another jump in his third season?
