The Los Angeles Rams spent the offseason with one priority on defense: fix the run defense. A year ago, Saquon Barkley and others gashed them for chunk gains and exposed a soft front. Los Angeles finished 2024 allowing 130 rushing yards per game, a number that put them in the bottom third of the league and left defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s group with no margin for error.
Through the opening stretch of 2025, the results look different. The Rams are giving up just 98 rushing yards per game, good for 10th in the league. More importantly, the big-name backs they’ve faced have been kept in check. Nick Chubb managed 60 yards on 13 carries. Tony Pollard needed 20 attempts to reach 92 yards. Barkley, who embarrassed LA a year ago, was limited to 46 yards on 18 carries. Jonathan Taylor picked up 76 on 17 touches but never broke the game open. None of them found the end zone, and for some like Taylor, their production came in the latter half of the game.
Rams Offseason Efforts To Improve Run Defense
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The improvement is not about one star defender but a full commitment up front. Kobie Turner’s development at nose tackle has plugged the middle, while Poona Ford has given the Rams a strong rotational run stopper. Linebackers Nate Landman and Omar Speights have also been key in setting edges and cleaning up tackles.
The Rams’ front office invested draft capital and practice reps into reinforcing the interior. Coaches drilled gap integrity throughout camp, stressing that LA could not repeat last year’s soft spots against physical run teams. The message has resounded with the team so far on defense, and the momentum from last season’s playoff run has carried into this year.
Stopping the run doesn’t guarantee wins, but for the Rams it helps them control the game. Aaron Donald’s successors can pin their ears back and attack the rush and the pass. The early sample suggests the mission from last spring is paying off. Their next challenge comes on a short week versus the San Francisco 49ers and Christian McCaffrey, another big name at running back. Whether it holds through a full season against deeper backfields remains to be seen, but after the Barkley embarrassment, Los Angeles finally looks like a defense that can stand its ground.
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