Rams agree to terms with DT Poona Ford: How he fits along the D-line
Jourdan Rodrigue
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6191433/2025/03/10/poona-ford-rams-free-agency-signing-2025/
The Rams agreed to a three-year deal with defensive tackle Poona Ford worth up to $29.6 million, league sources said on Monday.
Ford, 29, is a player the team has long had an eye on as a physical, disruptive run defender with untapped potential as a pass rusher. The 5-foot-11 and 315-pound former undrafted free agent has to date played well beyond his size and draft status. Ford spent the first five seasons of his career in Seattle, then played one season in Buffalo and one season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
How he fits
Ford (No. 38 on The Athletic’s top 150 free-agent list) played beyond the one-year, $2.25 million contract he signed with the Chargers last spring. He had eight tackles for loss, three sacks, nine quarterback hits and a pressure rate of 7.0 percent despite only playing about 55 percent of the defensive snaps.
His ability against the run also caught the Rams’ eye — the Chargers were seventh-best in defensive run EPA last season despite playing with lighter boxes. The Rams badly need a dynamic run defender on the interior who can also rush the passer alongside ascending stars Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske.
League sources said that Ford preferred to geographically stay in Los Angeles, where he hopes to settle and build out his life. The Chargers hoped to keep Ford, and a second AFC team pursued him as well, a league source said.
2025 impact
Ford should slot in immediately next to Turner, and the two should be able to pass their roles back and forth as nose tackles and/or three techniques. Last year, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and defensive line coaches Giff Smith and A.C. Carter hinted with some of their rush design a desire to be as multiple as possible with a few do-it-all players, and pure rushers on the outside in Jared Verse and Byron Young.
Outlook
The growth of the Rams’ young defensive line was impressive in 2024, especially as a pass-rushing unit. Where they consistently struggled was in defending the run. The Rams allowed 100-plus yards rushing in all but four games last season, and the coaching staff and front office made shoring that up a priority this spring.
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