Los Angeles Rams: Will they have best defense in NFC West?

With the hiring of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator, the Los Angeles Rams may end up having the best defense in the NFC West.

The Los Angeles Rams have had a good defense for a while now. But during the Jeff Fisher era, those Rams defenses always lived in the shadow of the Seattle Seahawks version. The Seahawks defense has been the class of the NFC West but that might be changing.

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Everywhere Wade Phillips goes, his defense improves over what in place. So Sean McVay’s offense could take time to get going. But in the meantime at least he knows his defense will keep the Rams in games.

Most of the talk surrounding the Los Angles Rams has been on new head coach Sean McVay’s offense. However, the best decision McVay has made thus far in his short-term as a head coach was hiring Wade Phillips as his defensive coordinator.

Phillips will install a 3-4 defense over the 4-3 that Jeff Fisher liked to run. Typically, a team has to draft for a system before it’s properly installed. But there is already big time talent on hand for Phillips to hit the ground running.

Starting up front with All-Pro defensive end Aaron Donald, one of the most explosive defensive linemen in the game. I think he’ll do just fine in transition from defensive tackle to end. Michael Brockers has the size and strength to make a good nose tackle.

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But pass rushing is what makes a 3-4 defense worth running. At outside linebacker, the Los Angeles Rams have one of the best pass rushers in the league in Robert Quinn. He’s struggled with injuries the pas few seasons but a move to outside linebacker might help him with that.

On the inside the Rams have Alec Ogletree, a 2016 All-pro linebacker. At cornerback there’s Trumaine Johnson, the Rams franchise player and top performer in the secondary. The other three spot in the secondary have question marks.

Strong safety T.J. McDonald left in free agency and Maurice Alexander will take his spot. At free safety, Lamarcus Joyner will stat and free agent Kayvon Webster will start at the other corner position.

But even though the secondary is a work in progress, I think Wade Phillips will have a plan to maximize what the DB’s do best because the talent is there. Otherwise, there aren’t very many weak spots that this Rams defense has headed into the season.

With All-Pro’s like Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree in the front seven, there will be outstanding pass rushers to pressure quarterbacks into mistakes and put the Rams secondary in a better position to make plays.

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For now though, the Seattle Seahawks defense is still a little better than the Rams. But with Wade Phillips in place as the defensive coordinator, the Rams new 3-4 defense may surpass the Seahawks defense sooner than later.

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