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What Rams defensive tackle’s stunning PFF grade means for Aaron Donald
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- What Rams defensive tackle’s stunning PFF grade means for Aaron Donald
On paper, Kobie Turner
has earned the respect his production has demanded for three consecutive seasons.
On the field, though, another question continues to loom over the Los Angeles Rams
like a gathering storm: What happens if Aaron Donald
walks back through those doors?
Rams defensive star Kobie Turner is one of the NFL's premier disruptive forces. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Pro Football Focus released its annual rankings of the NFL's top interior defensive linemen this week, placing Turner ninth overall entering the 2026 season. The ranking confirms what Rams coaches and opponents have already discovered. That Turner is no longer an emerging talent. He has become one of football's premier disruptive forces.
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Turner's pressure totals have climbed every year since his rookie season, when he finished third behind Jalen Carter and Will Anderson Jr. for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Turner had 50 quarterback pressures that season (2023), 62 in 2024 and 69 in 2025.
PFF gave Turner a pass-rush grade of 83.9 last season, a career best. He remains equally dependable against the run, posting consistent run-defense grades while finishing the season with seven sacks, 48 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits and one phenomenal interception against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.
And yet, PFF's recognition also highlights an intriguing dilemma that the Rams could soon face.
Donald, whose potential return from retirement remains one of the NFL's biggest unanswered questions , has historically lined up in the same interior defensive position that Turner now occupies. For nearly a decade, Donald owned that spot, earning the No. 1 ranking from PFF every season from 2015 through 2021 before finishing second in 2022 and third in 2023.
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"There are some things that he can do that nobody else can really do," said Turner of Donald last Friday at Rams training camp. "I heard it all my rookie year with 'AD'."
Turner said he learned a lot from Donald his rookie season, and the two thrived alongside each other on the Rams' interior defense. Turner led the team with nine sacks that season, and Donald was right behind with eight. There's no doubt the duo could seamlessly play alongside each other again.
If Donald returns, nobody expects him to immediately handle a full workload after more than two years away from football. He would most certainly be on a snap count as he worked his way back into game shape.
But still, it creates fascinating possibilities.
Aaron Donald (left) and Kobie Turner combined for 17 sacks during the 2023 season. Getty Images
Turner could see portions of his workload trimmed, or defensive coordinator Chris Shula could slide one of the two across the formation depending on the matchup. More than likely, if Donald worked his way back into game shape he could receive about 75% of the defensive snaps, the same number he averaged during his final season in 2023. That would leave fewer snaps for defensive tackle Poona Ford, who also landed comfortably inside PFF's rankings at No. 16 after another outstanding season as one of the league's most dependable run defenders.
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"Obviously, I'd be really excited," said Shula, who admitted he's thought about what it would look like on the defensive line if Donald returned. "You're getting one of the best players of all time. I've had a great history with him. I know what he would mean to this defense."
It's the kind of problem championship contenders dream about.
Most teams spend years searching for just one elite interior defender. The Rams might have three in the coming weeks. That's an embarrassment of riches.
It's a problem Shula and the Rams wouldn't lose sleep over when deciding which defensive tackle gets the snaps in the next series.
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But it's one opposing quarterbacks would.
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