Poona Ford remains a linchpin inside the Rams’ defensive front, even without the spotlight

For the Los Angeles Rams, the defensive front is built to create pressure at multiple levels, but Poona Ford’s impact often shows up in the least glamorous part of the box score. While star names draw most of the attention, Ford has been framed as a steady interior force whose work helps the Rams control rushing lanes and keep opponents from turning short gains into long drives.

Ford, a defensive tackle in his ninth NFL season and in his second year with the Rams, has never profiled as a prolific pass rusher. Over his career, Yahoo Sports points to 13.5 sacks across 118 games, a reminder that his primary value is not chasing the quarterback but clogging the middle and absorbing blocks so linebackers and perimeter defenders can play in space.

The way Ford is measured also matters. Yahoo Sports highlights that Pro/Next Gen Stats “stops” are recorded as tackles that result in a successful play for the defense, defined as negative EPA. That type of metric is designed to reward players for more than counting hits, and it aligns with what defensive coaches typically want from interior linemen, consistent negative plays that prevent sustained offense.

According to Yahoo Sports, last season Ford played 45% of the Rams’ defensive snaps and did not qualify for season leaderboards. Still, he finished with 38 stops, tied for the most among Rams defensive linemen with Kobie Turner while Ford logged 242 fewer snaps. The framing is straightforward, even with limited playing time, Ford produced at a rate and on-field role that mattered to the Rams’ defensive outcomes.

This is not a new idea in Los Angeles. In a 2025 Rams training camp recap, the team’s own site singled out Ford as being on track to be a difference-maker, especially against the run. That entry placed Ford alongside inside linebacker Nate Landman as players whose run-stopping showed up repeatedly in practice, with camp observations emphasizing Ford’s presence in the backfield.

The broader picture for the Rams defense is that multiple interior and edge pieces are expected to share the load. Yahoo Sports ties the spotlight to Myles Garrett as the established face of the pass rush, with Byron Young drawing “hype” at the other edge spot, and with Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske identified as productive contributors along the front. In that context, Ford’s job becomes even more important, because the Rams can only maximize their outside disruption if opponents are forced into unfavorable plays in the middle.