Los Angeles Rams defensive line coach Giff Smith has created an interchangeable unit for defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s ever-mutating defensive schemes. There is very little pattern to where individual players line up and each player can man every position in the formations.
The Rams put a lot of weight on the shoulders of the defensive interior, gone are the days when they made due with their 5-2 base and high shell coverages. Last year, according to Sharp Football Analysis, L.A. used sub defensive packages
at a 75 percent clip. The defensive front was expected to provide the pass rush pressure without a lot of blitz calls, 18 percent, second fewest in the NFL. They were also expected to hold their mud against the run, with Shula using light boxes 56 percent of the time to lure opponents into running the football.
2026 sees the return of all six of seven snap recipients from last year, only Jack Heflin (8 reps) is gone. It will be a tough room to bust into for the few newcomers. Let’s meet them all.
Meat on the bone
Kobie Turner – 6’2” 290 lb. 32” arms
In his three pro seasons, Turner has been a steady force in the Rams interior. He’s put up consistent production numbers up and proven to be very durable, seeing action in all 51 regular season games as well as every playoff matchup. Pro Football Focus recently ranked him as the 59th best player in the NFL and 4th best defensive tackle. His 69 pressures in 2025 was second-best in the NFL.
Even though Turner lacks prototypical mass and has adequate arm length, his build is stout and powerful. He’ll have problems if opposing blockers latch on to him, but he eludes them with nimble footwork, short area agility, and change of direction. Plays with low pads and a constant motor. Follows the ball in pursuit and a good tackler. Has very good hand fighting skills, a bevy of pass rush moves, and is bursty and powerful on stunts/loops/twists.
Poona Ford – 6’ 314 lb. 33” arms
Built like a fireplug with good arm length, Ford was brought in last season as a free agent to help re-build the Rams run defense and did exactly that. According to Pro Football Focus, the L.A. run defense improved from 27th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play in 2024 to 8th in 2025. Ford was a huge part of the upgrade.
As part of the Rams interior rotation, he was in on about 50 percent of reps, down from his past work, but that seems about right for a 31 year-old that has spent eight seasons in the middle of a gang fight. His thick build, strong lower half, and low pad level gives him leverage, as well as a strong anchor. When matched against double team’s, he engages from underneath and corkscrews his leg into the turf to hold his ground. Ford’s also sneaky quick through gaps, if not briskly squared up. A power-based pass rusher, best-suited to collapsing the pocket than chasing down quarterbacks.
Braden Fiske – 6’4” 294 lb. 31” arms
Fiske looks to bounce back after battling the sophomore jinx in 2025. His production in snaps, tackles, and sacks were substantially down. To be fair, he got a late start after knee surgery in his rookie off-season and was hit-and-miss on the 2025 injury lists with ankle and oblique woes. He did however, play well in the playoffs.
Wins with get-off, nimble feet, and effort. Strong hand fighter. Very impressive is how he keeps opposing linemen from squaring him up, he plays on their shoulders, abating their balance and power. When he has an edge, he really bursts to the ball. Conversely, his average arm length and relative lack of low mass can allow linemen to stick to him. His burst is not only evident as a pass rusher, Fiske gets through gaps or backdoors in a hurry, particularly against zone runs. His upper body strength allows him to stack/shed well.
Tyler Davis 6’2” 305 lb. 31 3/8” arms
Compact, blocky frame, his build starts him with good leverage. Davis plays a very disciplined game, consistently maintaining his gaps. Shows the ability to control and stack/shed or drive blockers with constantly moving feet and strength. He generally has good awareness as to what’s going on around him, reacting and flowing towards the ball. A better run defender than pass rusher, when he stays low he is very hard to move off his spot, even versus double teams. Not a lot of pass rush moves, but Davis can be explosive off the snap and strikes a powerful punch. He can pressure opposing linemen when shooting gaps
Last year, Davis nearly doubled his snaps from his rookie season and stat production was commensurate. His toughness versus the run makes him one of the “dirty work” players on the interior, he’s accountable, disciplined, and tough.
Roster battle: youth and exuberance vs. age and treachery
Ty Hamilton – 6’3” 301 lb. 32 1/4” arms
Re-watching Hamilton’s film, his work as a rookie didn’t fully match up to his college traits. He did show a quick and accurate punch and plays with low pad leverage. It was his get-off that didn’t show up. In college, his twitch and leg drive were explosive. He stacks blockers well, but lacked in shedding them. Held his ground pretty well, even on double teams. Pursues to the ball well. His pass rush is bullrush-based, didn’t show a lot of different moves, although he did hand fight well.
A 2025 Round 5 draftee, Hamilton played in 14 regular season games with 138 snaps. Well-put together frame and tested quite well for athleticism, strength, and explosiveness. Big, strong hands and adequate arm length. Year 2 will be the litmus test for how much value Hamilton will offer going forward. The traits are right, he will just need to apply them.
Larrell Murchison – 6’3” 297 lb. 32 5/8”arms
Originally a Round 5 selection (Tennessee Titans) in the 2020 NFL Draft, Murchison came to L.A. off waivers in December 2022. He made the Rams opening roster in 2023 and 2025. He was destined to make it in 2024, but two separate injuries, a late-camp broken arm and right after coming off the Injured Reserve List, a broken ankle kept him on the sidelines for the whole season.
Murchison has carved out a role as a depth player. In 2 1/2 active seasons, he’s played in 34 games with 432 snaps. Ofttimes his work was mop up duty, but he did make three starts. Plays with veteran savvy and 100 percent effort, fairly well-rounded game, just no outstanding traits. Adequate arm length to keep distance, plays low, and has good contact balance. Best in short area situations, a bit heavy-footed for work in space.
The big boys
Tim Keenan – 6’1” 327 lb. 30 1/2” arms
The drafting of Keenan in Round 7 this year was another nod towards reinforcing the L.A, run defense. His dense, stocky frame is built for controlling the line of scrimmage and plugging gaps. Bit of bad timing, this is a deep unit and he’ll have to show out to win the roster battle. If he sees action as a rookie, not much pass rush should be expected, he’s best suited as a space/block gobbler.
High-end film from 2024, at times dominating at the SEC level. Missed the early part of 2025 with “tightrope” surgery on his ankle and didn’t look as explosive in 2025 film. Still solid, just doesn’t jump out at you. If fully rehabbed and healthy, Keenan could end up as a real value, with potential to duress both the run and pass game. Plays with low pads and sports a big bottom half. Naturally tough to move, he uses a mean club move as part of his stack/shed moves. His arms are quite short, so he needs the violent hands. His short area agility and pursuit are solid.
Bill Norton – 6’6” 330 lb. 32 1/4” arms
Highly recruited out of high school as a four-star interior player. Big and thick, top to bottom, arm length is adequate. On tape, his move skills look better, than his Pro Day times. Norton has good get off and the first step to be a penetrator and is best as a linear mover. He appears to have fairly nifty feet, and loose limbs, has what I call call “phone booth”agility in traffic and tight areas. He’s adept at pursuing the ball in the pocket, but will struggle out in open space. While he shows good strength in both halves and strikes quickly and solidly, he’s too often in the habit of standing up as his first move. It not only affects his punch, losing power, but also can take away balance and base in run defense. Norton lines up primarily on the nose or shaded, but has worked at both 3/5T as well.
Long shots
Payton Zdroik – 6’ 276 lb. 31 3/8” arms
Squatty frame with natural low center of gravity. Under-sized and only adequate arm length for an interior lineman. Zdroik does have very good athleticism, RAS gives him a 9.26 score and it pairs with stellar upper body strength. He will have to prove he can win at the NFL level with his get-off, quickness and agility. When he combines that initial quickness and low leverage with stellar upper body strength and pretty good hand fighting, he flashes the ability to be a gap penetrator and get after it as a pass rusher. Against the run, he can easily be swallowed up, but works hard and has the strength to stack/shed. Strong in pursuit. Although bowling ball shaped, he looks fluid enough to get a look on special teams and he worked out for scouts as a fullback at his Pro Day.
Jaxson Moi – 6’2” 293 lb. 32” arms 10” hands
Stocky frame gives Moi natural low leverage. Below NFL athletic testing standards. Appears to offer more potential as an effort-based run stopper than pass rusher, a doer of dirty work. Shows good get-off and engages hands quickly. Gives maximum effort and pursues well, but lacks pop in his punch and the leg drive to collapse the pocket. That lack of lower body strength is apparent, he works hard to hold ground inside, but struggles with double teams. He follows the ball and can get off blockers to pursue, this effort can lead to clean up tackles and sacks. Although he doesn’t show many moves in his toolbox to create pressure, he has good timing and hand/eye coordination to get into passing lanes and jump to knock passes down. In college, Moi was often used as a blocker on offense, in jumbo short-yardage packages.
2026 outlook: Who’s in and who’s out
A deep and solid unit, the roster battle for the final two three spots will be a dogfight. L.A. has rostered six “true” defensive tackles in the recent past Since the departure of Aaron Donald, they’ve moved towards using a deep rotation on the interior and using them interchangeably at any position. The Rams interior scheme is built so that all the players get a shot at making big plays. An earned roster spot will likely get you a fair amount of work.
Left out will the the two undrafted rookies, while they both show good handwork and versatility, they both lack the mass and/or lower body strength. Bill Norton, a huge 2025 UDFA, played pretty well in last year’s preseason games and is a good practice squad prospect.
Four players are locked in. Unit leader Kobie Turner is capable of 10+ sacks from the interior. There’s no reason to think that Poona Ford, even turning 31, is ready for a downturn. Taking into account a drop in reps, he posted some of the best numbers of his career. Braden Fiske is fully healthy and should feast lining up next to Myles Garrett. If he can return to his rookie form, he’ll terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Reports are that Tyler Davis is considered ‘the brains” of the L.A. interior defenders, and quizzes his mates on what keys they should look for when faced with a particular formation.
That leaves three prospects to battle for the last two roster spots. Veteran Larrell Murchison has been through the wars, he’s not that old, but the Rams might prefer to build for the future. Ty Hamilton must show improvement on his rookie season. Although he wasn’t bad and was getting consistent reps down the stretch and through the playoffs, he must re-establish his burst off the snap. Tim Keenan’s ankle should be completely healed, if he plays like his 2024 college film, he’ll find a role.
Which players will make the Rams defensive interior unit to start 2026?
