Puka Nacua isn’t the only Ram with a rookie of the year résumé.
Rams nose tackle Kobie Turner has been on a tear recently, with seven sacks in the Rams’ last six games, and he believes he’s done enough that he should be a candidate for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
“I definitely think that I have put in the work to put myself into the conversation, but that’s not for me to decide, of course,” Turner said, via ESPN. “All there is for me to do is just keep working, take it each day by day and just put out tape that’s going to make it not questionable that that’s where I should be. So I don’t have any say as far as I should be this, I should be that.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been the betting favorite to win the award all year, but his play hasn’t been as strong recently. Texans pass rusher Will Anderson and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon have both also been named as candidates, but Turner may have been the best defensive rookie during the stretch of this late stretch of the season when the Rams have punched their playoff ticket.
With a total of nine sacks this season from the nose tackle position, Turner deserves a lot of credit. No one will ever replace Aaron Donald, but the Rams now have an inside pass rusher who could be Donald’s heir apparent. The Rams got a good one in the third round.