The Los Angeles Rams had one of the more underrated signings of the 2025 offseason when they added defensive tackle Poona Ford in free agency. Ford had a breakout year in 2024 as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers, following several years of solid work in the trenches. Helping the Chargers turn around their abysmal defense into one of the NFL’s best, Ford had the same impact for the Rams last season.
As a run defender, Ford was brilliant, constantly eating double teams and being the force the Rams needed in order to be more successful at stopping the run than they were in 2025. He also improved tremendously as a pass rusher, displaying a frightening balance of speed, power, agility, and explosiveness throughout last season.
Entering 2026, Ford is on the best roster he’s ever been on and is entering what should be the most productive years of his underrated career.
Here are three reasons why Ford will be the difference for the Rams this season.
Eliminates issues
What makes Ford such a difference maker is that he’s unable to be schemed out of a game plan, forcing opposing offenses to either dedicate tremendous resources to deal with him or to change their entire plan of attack.
He requires constant double-teams, which allow Kobie Turner to use his lower center of gravity and lateral explosiveness to fill gaps. With Myles Garrett expected to contribute heavily to those efforts, regardless of whether a team wants to run or pass, it will be virtually impossible to sustain gains with plays meant to attack the box. There simply won’t be enough space or time.
That will eliminate the opposition’s ability to successfully run between the tackles, and as a result, that will hurt their play-action effectiveness. With Ford’s power at the point of attack, that may also limit how often opposing teams want to place their quarterback under center, and any offense that wants to be in shotgun against the Rams is simply asking for it.
The key to the rotation
In a world where Aaron Donald returns, this will factor in even more as it’s unlikely Donald will be on the field for anything but obvious passing downs. Even if Donald chooses to remain at home, Ford is the key to the defensive line not exhausting itself.
For as many snaps as he plays, that will mean Tyler Davis, Ty Hamilton, and possibly Tim Keenan III will be able to help keep Turner fresh. For as many plays as they cover on the inside, that will allow Larrell Murchison and Desjuan Johnson, players who can play multiple roles, to play on the outside, giving Garrett a break when needed.
Ford’s impact could also help develop Braden Fiske as a multi-use threat if the Rams have that intention.
Take Ford away, and that means the rest of the Rams have to pick up more slack, especially Turner. He’s the second-best on the team in picking up interior double-teams. As a result, he will likely be less effective as the game goes on, which puts more pressure on the entire unit to pick up the slack, forcing Garrett, Byron Young and others to become more aggressive off the edge.
When that happened last season, the opposition found consistent gaps to exploit. Ford erases all of that.
Wildly athletic
For someone as big as Ford, he’s able to make a multitude of plays at the line and has a knack for batting balls out of the air. When a team has a player like that, they don’t always have to press the action at the line of scrimmage to solidify their effectiveness.
Not only does that unlock another element to Ford’s game, but it also makes it more difficult for quarterbacks to push the ball downfield, as windows will already be tighter than they were last season due to improvements on the roster. Ford’s ability to deflect the ball is one thing, but a common thread with his play is that he finishes plays, even if that means he’s securing an interception off a batted ball.
It’s his athleticism that allows him to double as an unstoppable force, while remaining a cog in the overall operation, regardless of the personnel packages he’s asked to line up against.
With a second year in the Rams defense, Ford is on the verge of his finest year yet.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 3 reasons Poona Ford is a difference-maker on the Rams’ D-line
Reporting by Brock Vierra, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brock Vierra, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
