For the first time in a decade, the Los Angeles Rams will enter the season without the greatest player in franchise history on their roster. Aaron Donald announced his retirement back in March following a dominant ten-year career which produced ten Pro Bowl appearances and a record-tying three Defensive Player of the Year awards, leaving a huge void in the Rams defensive line, and an even bigger one in their locker room. To make up for a loss of someone of Donald's stature is a tall task, but it's one that Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay isn't expecting any one player to handle.
“We don’t have the luxury of having a guy that is, in essence, the Michael Jordan of the defensive line,” McVay stated during a recent appearance on The Athletic Football Show (h/t Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire). “To expect anybody to play like Aaron Donald, to do the things he did to impact the game the way that he did, to affect his teammates the way that he did, that’s not fair to put that on anybody.”
So the question then becomes, as a team with legitimate postseason aspirations, how do you make up for that loss? Well, in Sean McVay's mind, it's going to be replacement by committee. During his sit-down with The Athletic's Robert Mays, McVay mentioned seven different players he felt could make contributions, with one player in particular being someone that he believed could make a “major leap” in 2024.
“I think we’ve got some young guys that I think have a chance. I think Kobie Turner’s a really good player. We’ve got some other young guys. I think Bobby Brown made a really good jump last year and I’m expecting that much more from him. We drafted Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis. And then on the edges, I think Byron Young is going to take a major leap. I think Michael Hoecht is a really versatile player that we can do a better job utilizing his skill set to not put him in some of the harder downs that he was in last year. And I’m really excited about Jared Verse.”
Can Byron Young ascend for the Los Angeles Rams?
This wasn't the first time this offseason that Sean McVay has shouted out the Rams 2nd year linebacker. During a June appearance on the Green Light Podcast, McVay told Chris Long that Byron Young “had a really good spring” and “was arguably one of the more improved players” on the Rams roster. If that's true, then LA could be in store for a Pro Bowl caliber year from the 26-year-old.
During a solid rookie season, Byron Young finished 8th in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, finishing the year with 61 tackles (5th on the team), 8 sacks (2nd), 19 QB hits (2nd) and 2 forced fumbles (2nd). Don't be surprised if those numbers go up across the board in 2024.
“I felt like last year I definitely (had) games where I need to close out and I didn't come through, and that's my goal,” Young told Stu Jackson of therams.com. “That's my number one goal. Honestly this year, it's just about, you know, being a closer.”
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