When [**the Los Angeles Rams**](https://ramblinfan.com/) lost both nose tackles Bobby Brown III and Neville Gallimore in the 2025 offseason, the team faced a challenge. But as I have learned through many organizational motivational meetings, challenges are simply another way of saying opportunities. So the challenge for the team was clear. The Rams had to improve the quality of the team's run defense, surrender nothing in terms of the pass rush, and do so with an affordable veteran who would blend right in with the team's young and passionate defensive front.
The answer was in the Rams' very own backyard. The Los Angeles Chargers boasted a veteran nose tackle, Poona Ford, who checked all of the Rams' boxes. Standing 5-foot-11 and tipping the scales at a powerful 310 pounds, Ford is a seasoned veteran who is entering his eighth NFL season.
Best of all, he excels at run defense while still bringing a sneakily effective pass rush. And he is about to bring all of that to a Rams defense that needs everything he's got.
ESPN's NFL analyst Mina Kimes knows her football, and she rips off a series of humbling and unacceptable Rams run defense stats when she pivots to the Rams' X-Factor signing at the 1:00:19 mark. So it leads to her naming Poona Ford as the Rams' X-Factor for 2025. In almost every way, I have to agree.
Poona Ford is not on board with the Rams thanks to a shiny reputation and All-Pro status. He is simply a passionate player who gets the job done, and his low center of gravity and 310 pounds of muscular physique are exactly what the team needs to hold its ground on running plays. Of course, it will not all fall on Ford's shoulders. But the Rams run defense struggled mightily last season, and the team went out and landed the best and most overlooked defender in the NFL to correct the problem.
[**Poona Ford**](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/poona-ford/48875) is a solid defender, but a great run stuffer. And if the Rams can bolster their run defense in 2025, this is a team whose defense can routinely win games for the team. Last season, the team's run defense allowed over 130 rushing yards per game, falling in at 22nd in 32 NFL teams. The Los Angeles Chargers, Ford's former team, allowed just 117.5 rushing yards per game, coming in as the 15th-best rushing defense.
Can he lift the Rams to a similar ranking? Yes. After all, he's not the only addition to the team with run-stuffing ability. The team added rookie DL Ty Hamilton and signed veteran ILB Nate Landman to join ILB Omar Speights this season.
But it will be Ford's job to stop the run early and often. And from what he showed last season, and how quickly he is impressing the coaching staff in OTAs, he is well on his way to doing so. The Rams quietly nailed this offseason move, but the NFL is already starting to sit up and take notice.
As always, thanks for reading.
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