After seeing two of their leaders from the last few seasons, Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones IV, leave Inglewood via retirement and a shocking trade later in the summer that still has fans of their pre -season, Los Angeles The Rams are a team that is looking for a new identity on the defensive side of the ball.
Fortunately, after making a concerted effort to acquire as much quality young talent as possible over the past two seasons, the Rams are a team with plenty of options to lead into the future, including a couple of players below the level of the Quentin Lake and Kobie Turner have just been named captains before the 2024 NFL season.
When asked about the decision to decamp for those two players, defensive coordinator Chris Shula credited the duo for being strong talents who earned the respect of their teammates, who ultimately voted them among the stars. “These two guys deserve it. They were chosen by the team as captains and I think they take this role very seriously. I think they are ready for this role and they have earned it with their play on the field, the way they prepare them, who they are and what they bring to the dressing room. “So, I’m very excited for these two,” Shula told reporters. “The type of people these guys are. Quentin Lake, I think about his freshman year. I was actually coaching the defensive backs that year and we drafted him. He got hurt. I don’t know if he came back early… He didn’t do OTAs. He didn’t attend training camp [and] he didn’t come back until Week 10 that year, but he was involved with the whole defense, every meeting, staying up late at night, studying [ and] made sure he was ready when his opportunity presented itself. Kobie, from the day he got here, has been this steady, hardworking boy. Obviously, he was kind of under Aaron Donald’s wing, and now I think he’s taken over that role to coach the defensive line. I think both men are quite wise beyond their years. At just 25 years old, Lake and Turner both have several seasons left on their rookie contracts before the Rams are forced to offer them big-money contracts at some point in the future. If the pair was able to take on a leadership role earlier in their careers, it’s safe to say that the future is incredibly bright at SoFi Stadium, especially considering the quality of players the team signed this offseason.