NFL analyst calls Rams defensive lineman a 'DNA changer' for 2025
One of those moves was to add veteran defensive lineman Poona Ford to the young defensive line — a unit that needed help stopping the run this past season. Ford, who's known as a quality run stopper, should make a sizable impact on this group. Which is why The Athletic's Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen both agreed Ford is a "DNA changer" for the Rams defense in 2025.
'Poona Ford, specifically as a Los Angeles Ram, is exactly what we're talking about when we say we want to change the DNA of a unit," Helman said on The Athletic Football Show podcast. "This is a great first step toward making the Rams' run defense respectable."
Ford signed a three-year, $27.6 million deal with the Rams following season-long stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills. He began his career with the Seattle Seahawks from 2018 to 2022. Through his seven NFL seasons, Ford built up a reputation as a penetrating run-stopper. He has 37 career tackles for a loss, including eight in 2024 with a 78.8 Pro Football Focus run defense grade.
The idea here is that not only will Ford upgrade the Rams' 22nd-ranked run defense in yards per game and 24th in yards per attempt, but that he'll also raise the tide of all the young L.A. defensive linemen like Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and rookie Ty Hamilton. A better run-stopping team will alleviate pressure on the pass rushers, too.
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