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Poona Ford is garnering attention heading into Year 2 with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams added an integral piece to their group that remains one of the most overlooked contributors in Poona Ford last offseason.

Ford plays in the trenches, not one of the skill positions the Rams often receive attention for.

Undersized for his position, the 5-foot-11 Ford still fills a role that often goes unnoticed in discussions about game-changing players. The veteran proved his value in his first season with the Rams. He appears primed to do so once again in 2026.

Poona Ford Draws Attention as Rams Begin OTAs

Ford is a former undrafted free agent who had stops with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks before signing with the Rams in 2025.  This past season, he posted 47 total tackles, the second-most of his career.

Ford started 10 of the 17 regular-season games that he played in.

NFL.com’s Tom Blair selected Ford as the “most underappreciated” player on the Rams’ roster with OTAs beginning on Tuesday. Blair noted Ford made a “massive difference” on the field.

“Ford signed with the Rams on the most lucrative deal of his career last offseason, but he’s still getting paid less per year ($9.2 million) than 36 other interior defensive linemen, per Over the Cap. That seems like a pretty good value,” Blair wrote on May 26.

“In 2024, Los Angeles gave up 4.6 yards per carry, with a per-tote defensive EPA of -0.02 — figures that improved to 4.1 and -0.14, respectively, when Ford was on the field last season. The young stars up front garner plenty of deserved praise, but we can’t overlook the hefty veteran’s crucial role.”

Ford is signed through the 2027 season on a three-year, $27.6 million contract.

For his career, Ford has 276 combined stops, 13.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. He has logged 91 starts in 118 career games.

Poona Ford Sent Telling Message Ahead of Critical Season

The Rams enter the next phase of their offseason program with 12 players along the defensive line on their roster, including Ford. He is the only one the team lists as a nose tackle.

Ford sent a message ahead of the team’s first phase of the offseason program. They were on the field for baseline testing, and the veteran posted on Instagram on May 12 that he was “Still Havinn Fun,” and included several photos of himself in action.

That is an encouraging sign for the Rams and, potentially, necessary for Ford.

The Rams can cut ties with the veteran next offseason. Such a move would save them $9.2 million with  $1.8 million in dead cap space.

Rams Drafted Potential Nose Tackle of the Future in Tim Keenan III

The biggest reason the Rams could have for moving on from Ford next offseason, if that is what they choose to do, is the selection of Tim Keenan III in the seventh round of the 2026 draft.

The Rams list Keenan at 6-foot-1 and 327 pounds. He is the second-heaviest player on their roster heading into OTA. Keean weighs in just ahead of Ford, who the Rams list at 314 pounds, and behind only 336-pound D-lineman Bill Norton.

If Keenan shows enough as a rookie, Ford’s Rams tenure could come to a premature end.