Is Melvin Ingram the missing piece of the Los Angeles Rams defense?
The Los Angeles Rams turned their offense upside down when they shipped Jared Goff off to the Motor City for Matthew Stafford.
While the move for Stafford may have instantly upgraded their offense, there's a bit of an issue on the other side of the ball, primarily with their pass rush. Here's a look at how the Los Angeles Rams can solve that problem by bringing Melvin Ingram on board.
Los Angeles Rams' pass-rush problem
The Los Angeles Rams have arguably the best rusher in the league with Aaron Donald, who's had double-digit sacks in every season but two. In those seasons, he earned eight and nine sacks. Clearly, Aaron Donald is not the problem. The issue is the talent beyond him.
A quick look at the stats of the rest of the options makes the problem clearer.
Sebastian Joseph Day earned one sack last season. A'Shawn Robinson did not earn a single sack. Justin Hollins earned three. Leonard Floyd earned ten sacks, which was solid but not the best in his career, and he's likely to return to his 2019 level of around three sacks.
The entire pass rush earned 14 sacks and will likely earn around half that number in 2021. Meanwhile, Aaron Donald earned 13.5 sacks in 2020 on his own while being double- and triple-teamed. The Los Angeles Rams need to get more talent at pass rushing positions. Luckily for them, they have an easy shot at Melvin Ingram.
Melvin Ingram could be the answer
Melvin Ingram is 32 years old and still a free agent, meaning he can be signed for cheap. While 2020 was a down season for Ingram, 2019 saw him earn eight sacks. An extra eight sacks would be nice for the Los Angeles Rams, and his signing would also help earn other players more sacks.
First, it would help free up Aaron Donald. In 2018, when Aaron Donald was not being double- and triple-teamed nearly as much, he almost set a new record for sacks in the NFL, earning 20.5 sacks. By adding Melvin Ingram, opposing offensive lines would simply not be able to focus solely on Aaron Donald.
Melvin Ingram could soak up another blocker and free up space for Donald. This would create a nasty pass rush that could add extra sacks for both Ingram and Donald. Additionally, this could help open up the offensive line for Leonard Floyd and make sacks easier, keeping him closer to double digits.