Do Rams Have the Best Defensive Line in NFC West?

Defensive linemen make up the bread and butter of the trenches on their side of the ball. They do most of the dirty work against powerful interior offensive linemen and are in constant battle on every snap, bringing immense value to their defense and roster overall.

The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most promising interior defensive lines in the NFL. Over the last couple of seasons, they have drafted the likes of Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Tyler Davis while adding quality starter Poona Ford to replace former nose tackel Bobby Brown III.

A strong end to the 2024 seasons and a deep postseason run have made the Rams defensive front one of the most exciting. However, it poses the question: are they the best defensive line in the NFC West? Let's take a closer look at Los Angeles' three rivals in the West.

Arizona Cardinals

Head coach Jonathan Gannon, a former defensive coordinator in Philadelphia, helped launch a defensive makeover this offseason with several key additions to the unit. Now, the Cardinals have a front seven that they hope will never experience the agony they suffered late last season after just missing the postseason.

Arizona brought back veteran and former franchise cornerstone Calais Campbell and nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to join the young and versatile Darius Robinson up front. They also drafted Ole Miss' Walter Nolen III with their first pick while also having Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones as their depth. It is a much improved group that offers a great deal of intrigue ahead of 2025.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle was on the cusp of the postseason as well, coming up short against their division, Rams. General manager John Schneider made just one addition to their 3-4 defensive front with the selection of Notre Dame's Rylie Mills, but the rest of the group is quite sufficient.

Leonard Williams is the veteran of the front and a leader of their defense. Jarran Reed remains a formidable presence in Seattle while second-year starter Byron Murphy II looks to continue his upward progression into a potential quality starter. Veteran Johnathan Hankins and backup Mike Morris make a solid group of players that will be rocks in the middle of their defense.

San Francisco 49ers

This group is comfortably the worst of the bunch due to inexperience and unproven talents. Not long ago, this defensive line would've featured the likes of Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw along with Javon Hargrave. Instead, it is a young group with a couple of rookies expected to have a significant impact in their first season.

Jordan Elliott is the proven veteran of this group, which isn't saying much. General manager John Lynch acquired Alfred Collins and C.J. West in the draft, giving this defensive line a high ceiling but with much to prove. Collins should still be an outstanding run-defender in the NFL while West brings value as a pass rusher before Kevin Givens makes up the two-deep group.

With full disclosure, it is unlikely that Collins and West will see starting reps for most of the season and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will take advantage of Yetur Gross-Matos and rookie Mykel Williams' inside-out versatile.

Who has the best defensive line in the NFC West?

The clear answer is Los Angeles. They have quickly become a unit that is stout up front and attacking the quarterback. Turner and Fiske are quickly emerging as some of the better young interior defensive linemen in the league while the veteran, Ford, gives them value and alignment versatility from the A-gap to C-gap.

The Cardinals offer the most upside with their offseason additions while the Seahawks are a rock solid group. There is intrigue with the 49ers young players, but they must prove they are valuable and effective early to consider being one of the best defensive lines in the division.