Is Rams' Kobie Turner on the Verge of Breaking Out?

The Los Angeles Rams defense has been celebrated lately in the media, with Jared Verse winning Defensive Rookie of the Year as well as their stellar performance agaianst the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round. While the defense as a whole continues to get their flowers, one member may be on the verge of a breakout season.

Defensive tackle Kobie Turner has been in the National Football League for two seasons, and has performed well thus far in his tenure with Los Angeles. In 34 career games, Turner has 119 total tackles, 17 sacks, and 14.5 stuffs.

Turner has yet to miss a game for LA in his career, proving that he is the Iron Man for the Rams defense. That being said, Year 3 could be the biggest season for Turner, especially looking at the improvements he made from Year 1 to Year 2.

Last season, Turner improved his total tackle number from 57 to 62, had 2.5 more stuffs than his rookie campaign and remained consistent in his quarterback sack game. Not only did Turner improve in his second season, but he played a pivotal role for the Rams defense in their playoff journey.

In the two games against the Vikings and the eventual Super Bowl LIX winners, the Philadelphia Eagles, Turner made a name for himself going forward. Collecting 10 total tackles, three stuffs and three quarterbac sacks, Turner showed up when it counted the most for his team.

Now that the Rams young defenders have an extra year under their belts, Turner could easily become the breakout star next season for LA. If Turner can again play a full 17 game season, there should be no question that his third season should outperform his first two.

In 2024, Turner was ranked six on the Rams defense in total tackles, second in quarterback sacks, third in tackles for loss, and fourth in fumbles forced. Now going into his third season, his slowly developing veteran status should help the Rams get back to the playoffs in 2025.

The Rams defense in terms of total average yards against was not stellar, as they allowed 353.1 yards. If Los Angeles wants to push themselves out of the defensive rut they found themselves in during the regular season, they will need to posses a Top 15 defense.