The Los Angeles Rams addressed their defensive line in free agency by signing former Los Angeles Chargers standout Poona Ford to a three-year contract.
Ford is an underrated veteran who last played for the Los Angeles Chargers. He began his career with the Seattle Seahawks and also had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills before finding a home in Southern California.
The Rams have big expectations for Ford, who joins a talented group that includes 2024 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske.
Ford said he is already getting comfortable with his new teammates and is looking forward to contributing any way he can, via Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com:
“Everybody just feeds off each other, depending on one another, it’s a real family,” Ford said. “I’m excited to work with the group, man. I’m just trying to get in where I fit in, sprinkle my little bit of wisdom in there.”
Ford has established himself as one of the best run stuffers in the NFL and should be a welcome addition on the Rams defensive line. He is coming off a career year with the Charger that saw him record 38 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks.
While the Chargers are believed to have made a competitive offer to keep Ford around, he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to join the Rams.
“It kind of happened really quick. They were really aggressive in the process and I just felt like this was where I needed to be,” Ford said of joining the Rams.
Poona Ford wanted to stay in Southern California
After a career year with the Chargers, Ford liked the idea of staying in L.A. and factored that into his free agency decision. “More than I thought it would, honestly,” he answered when asked if he wanted to remain in Southern California.
“I like it out here, out west. Being from South Carolina, there’s just something about [being] out west that makes me want to stay.”
