When Aaron Donald announced that he was calling it a career after an incredible run with the Los Angeles Rams, the pressure, rightly or wrongly, immediately fell on Kobie Turner's shoulders to fill the shoes of the eight-time All-Pro.
Standing 6-foot-2, 288 pounds, Turner played incredibly well for the Rams as a rookie, powering through foes on the way to a nine-sack season while drawing double teams at an AD-esque clip, but considering he was playing alongside the aging Pro Bowl stalwart, how much of that was due to opportunity, as opposed to personal effort?
Well, in 2024, fans will find out, as “The Conductor” now finds himself the focal point of a defensive line that also features 2023 breakout star Byron Young and rookie draftees Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
Now as a rookie, the Rams allowed Turner to figure things out as part of a rotation, playing 62 percent of LA's defensive snaps in 2024 while starting four games over 17 games, but the Wake Forris product capitalizing on the opportunity in a massive way as one of the true breakout defensive linemen in the NFL, finding himself a runner up for the AP Defensive Player of the Year and a clear focal point for the team moving forward.
Would it have been cool to see Turner have one more season with Donald? Sure, the duo played very well together, and giving the former a little more seasoning before being thrown the proverbial wolves would have been beneficial, but considering, unfortunately, that's not how the cookie crumbled for the Rams.
No, after announcing his exit from the pros in order to focus on his family and on his status as a franchise ambassador, the pressure is now on for Turner, Fiske, Verse, and company to pick up the slack and give defensive coordinator Chris Shula enough pop to keep opposing offenses off balance and Sean McVay a chance to control the tempo of the game with his newly energized run game. Fortunately, if his rookie season is of any indication, Turner has the talents to step up to the bat and be the best defensive lineman he can be, as opposed to the next Donald.
Kobie Turner wants to be Kobie Turner for the Rams
Heading into the 2024 NFL season, the absence of Donald has weighed heavily on the minds of Rams fans the world over, with some eager to see how the team would function without the lynchpin of their defensive line, while others are worried about how the team would function without the lynchpin of their defensive line.
Asked about the prospects of Donald saying goodbye and how it will impact his own role in heading into the future, Turner told Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic that he isn't worried about replacing the future Hall of Famer but instead improving his own game every day in the pursuit of greatness.
“It's definitely a difficult inner battle for sure. It's going back again to the things that allowed me to be successful last year, and that is again having that growth mindset and attacking each day individually. Also, being able to have guys like coach (Sean) McVay — he has pulled me aside, and we have had discussions about that, too. I don't need to be anyone else other than who I am. I don't need to be chasing any numbers, anything like that,” Turner told The Athletic.
“Go about each day the same way that I did last year, with that same focus. Of course, with AD leaving — it can be very easy to put a lot of that pressure on myself. There is definitely a lot of responsibility. I think pressure makes diamonds, so as long as I keep it in the right frame, then I am going to come out much better from this. I think I already am growing so much. Keeping it in that right mentality, allowing it to build me up and never letting it get overwhelming and keeping the focus on how I attack every single day — not on some sort of output, but the process.”
Inevitably, fans will turn to Turner and 2024 second-round pick Braden Fiske whenever the Rams need a big stop or some pressure from the interior and critique the duo for not being as dominant as the ten-time Pro Bowler when they are both young enough to still be on their parent's health insurance policy. Still, if Turner can really take a step forward from an impressive rookie season and become an impact player – even if his game isn't Donald-esque – it's safe to say fans won't be too critical of how he goes about his business, as in the end, defensive production is all that matters.
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