Most around the NFL expect the Los Angeles Rams to extend star receiver Puka Nacua this offseason. While that is certainly a major priority for the team, we also cannot forget about interior defensive lineman Kobie Turner. Turner also deserved a big-time pay day and should be a building block of this LA roster for years to come.
Why Turner is deserving
Many around the league would argue that interior disrupters are more important than most EDGE rushers. Pressure from inside affects quarterbacks greatly and they have less time to evade quick wins. If you don’t have a Myles Garrett or an elite EDGE defender, your next-best option could be to invest in a penetrating tackle.
And teams that have an interior rusher capable of knocking a quarterback off his rhythm understand how valuable of a piece this can be in their roster construction. It’s something you never want to let go of.
The Rams have one of the best pass rushing tackles in all of football. They must prioritize an extension for Turner.
Of all defensive tackles with at least 303 pass rushing snaps (according to Pro Football Focus), Turner ranks second through the regular season and playoffs with 69 total pressures. He finished with eight tackles and a pass rush win rate of 13.3%, which tied Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos for first place. Allen had 11 sacks.
Turner ranked sixth in PFF’s pass rush grade behind Jeffrey Simmons, Chris Jones, Jowon Briggs (Jets), Cameron Heyward, and Dexter Lawrence.
Interior rushers are more important than ever
The four teams that made their conference championship in the postseason can claim six of the top nine leaders in total pressures:
- Zach Allen – Broncos; AFC finalist: 83
- Kobie Turner – Rams; NFC finalist: 69
- Leonard Williams – Seahawks; NFC winner: 66
- Jeffrey Simmons – Titans; breaks the rule: 64
- Chris Jones – Chiefs; 2024 conference winner: 63
- Christian Barmore – Patriots; AFC winner: 58
- Byron Murphy – Seahawks; NFC winner: 58
- Moro Ojomo – Eagles; 2024 Super Bowl winner: 54
- Milton Williams – Patriots; AFC winner: 53
Honorable mention: Braden Fiske finished 14th with 50 total pressures but had more than 110 fewer pass rushing snaps than Turner
The NFL is a copycat league. It’s no coincidence that the final teams specialized in disruption from the interior defensive line. Could teams be following the Rams’ model of success from their days with Aaron Donald? Either way, you can make a reasonable argument interior pressure is just as valuable as having a premium EDGE rusher. The proof is in the pudding.
Reasonable models to follow
What is a realistic contract model to follow for Turner? How could a potential extension be structured?
These are some possible examples:
- Zach Allen, Broncos: 25.5M average annual value
- Nnamdi Madubuike, Ravens: 24.5M
- Alim McNeill, Lions: 24.25M
- Jeffrey Simmons, Titans: 23.5M
- Leonard Williams, Seahawks: 21.5M
Turner was a third round pick. Draft pedigree shouldn’t necessarily matter four years into your NFL career, but it is often an important factor in free agent and at the time of extension.
- Allen: third round
- Madubuike: third round
- McNeill: third round
- Simmons: first round
- Williams: first round (top 10)
Turner is easily in line to be paid in excess of $20M annually over an extension. If he lands somewhere in the Allen/Madubuike territory, he will still be lower than Chris Jones of the Chiefs at the top of the market. For comparison, Aaron Donald was paid over $30M in annual value. He retired in 2024 and inflation with inflation that only makes Turner look like more of a bargain. Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder.
While most of the attention this offseason will be on re-signing Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner is also deserving of an extension. It could benefit the Rams to lock him in sooner rather than later.
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