St. Louis Rams Closing Evaluations: What Grades Do the Defensive Linemen Receive?

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Long: It was an unfortunate season for Long, who had made a significant impact as the Rams’ left end over the previous four seasons. He suffered an ankle injury during the opening minutes of the season opener, and after having surgery to repair it he went on to miss the next 10 games. It’s very possible that Long’s absence negatively affected the Rams’ entire defensive line, as they went on to record just one sack over the first five games before starting to bounce back to form.

Long came back for the last five games of the season, but he later revealed that his ankle was not close to fully recovered upon his return. Thus, it’s difficult to blame him for his lack of production, which included five tackles (two for loss), one sack, seven QB hurries, and two QB hits, plus a fumble recovery over 237 snaps.

It would have been easy for Long to take off the rest of the season to recover, but he showed his resilience by returning and contributing for the latter part of the season. While his struggles for this season can be excused to an extent, it’s important that he bounces back and regains the pass-rushing effectiveness that had made the Rams’ defensive line dominant over the past several years.

GRADE: B-

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