The Rams are losing Kobie Turner for at least four games after Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that the defensive tackle will be placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. It is another difficult blow for a 2-4 team that is already trying to steady itself after a run of setbacks.
Turner’s absence matters because he has been a regular part of the Rams’ defensive line rotation, and injured reserve guarantees a minimum spell on the sideline. The move also comes with Poona Ford joining him on injured reserve, further stripping depth from a unit that now has to cover for multiple losses at the same time.
Why Turner’s absence matters
Turner was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, selected No. 89 overall by the Rams. He is in the final year of his four-year, $5,391,471 rookie contract, which included a $921,070 signing bonus, so the timing of the injury removes a key defender at a point when the Rams would ordinarily want more stability, not less.
Even in a season that has not gone to plan, Turner’s production has been useful. In 2026 he appeared in six games for the Rams and recorded 22 total tackles and two pass deflections. That kind of involvement made him a player the Rams could lean on for effort, reliability and interior disruption.
Poona Ford also heads to injured reserve
Ford’s situation gives the Rams even less room to absorb Turner’s loss. He arrived on a three-year, $30 million deal ahead of the 2025 season, but in 2026 he also appeared in six games and recorded 15 total tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection before being ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn triceps.
That means McVay is not simply losing one defender. He is trying to manage an interior line that has now been thinned out significantly, with both Turner and Ford unavailable for the short term and, in Ford’s case, much longer.
A bigger problem for a team trying to regroup
The Rams are already dealing with wider injury issues after losing WR Davante Adams for multiple months coming out of a Week 6 loss. Taken together, these setbacks leave the roster under pressure on both sides of the ball, and they make the next stretch of the season more difficult to manage.
For Turner, the immediate question is simply recovery time. For the Rams, the bigger question is whether they can hold the line defensively while one of their more dependable interior pieces sits out at least four games and the season continues to tighten around them.
