Rams' Kobie Turner on Aaron Donald's retirement: 'I don't need to be anyone else other than who I am'

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner shined during his rookie season, generating 9.0 sacks and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Playing alongside to Aaron Donald has advantages, as Turner often benefited from single-block situations. With Donald retiring, that significant edge no longer exists.

On Monday, Turner stated that he is aware the chatter about him being the “next” Donald will intensify but he won’t let that pressure get to him.

“It’s definitely a difficult inner battle for sure,” Turner said, via Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic. “It’s going back again to the things that allowed me to be successful last year, and that is again having that growth mindset and attacking each day individually. Also, being able to have guys like coach (Sean) McVay — he has pulled me aside, and we have had discussions about that, too. I don’t need to be anyone else other than who I am. I don’t need to be chasing any numbers, anything like that.

Maintain the same approach and concentration each day as I did the previous year. With AD’s departure, it’s quite easy to shoulder a lot of the pressure. There’s undoubtedly a significant amount of responsibility. I believe that pressure creates diamonds, so as long as I keep the right mindset, I will emerge stronger from this. I feel that I am already experiencing significant growth. By maintaining a positive mindset, allowing it to build my character, and ensuring it doesn’t become overwhelming, I can keep my focus on attacking each day head-on. This is not about the end results, but the process.

Turner benefited from Donald’s presence, but his production wasn’t solely because of the future Hall of Famer. Turner’s 22 QB pressure when double teamed were second-most among defensive tackles last season, per Next Gen Stats, behind only Quinnen Williams (24).

Turner noted that after discovering he didn’t win the DROY award, he reached out to Donald to get into contact with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year’s trainers, per Stu Jackson of the team’s official website. Since then, Turner has worked with Al Carson, a Krav Maga instructor who helped Donald work on his hands.

The offseason decisions of this type give hope that Turner can maintain his rookie pace, even without Donald there to draw attention.