Sean McVay Reflects on Michael Brockers, What he Brought to Rams in Past Seasons

Sean McVay says the Rams miss the leadership quality that Michael Brockers brought to the team.

Nicholas Cothrel | Oct 21, 2021

With the Detroit Lions getting set to take flight and enter SoFi Stadium for the Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, a lot of talk has been made about the return of Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford facing his former team of the last 12 seasons.

But another former player of the Rams, Michael Brockers, will also get his first taste in playing his former team.

After playing nine seasons with the Rams between St. Louis and Los Angeles, Brockers was sent to the Lions in exchange for a future late-round draft pick last offseason.

In reflecting back on what Brockers provided the Rams during his time in L.A., McVay had nothing but praise for his former player who carried a big leadership role.

“He was a great leader for such a long period of time," McVay said Wednesday. "He's got such a big personality and he had such a positive presence on this team. He was a really productive player. You're missing him in a lot of instances."

On one hand, McVay states that Brockers' skillset is missed. However, on another note, McVay says he's seen other players along the defensive line step up this season as a result of Brockers' departure.

"What I really think is, some guys have really stepped up and elevated their playing in his absence," McVay said. "You look at a Sebastian Joseph-Day, you look at a Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, I think those guys have done a really nice job of filling that void. But, you miss his presence, you miss his personality, his production. Michael was a great player for us. (I) really loved working with him. We wanted to be able to continue to work (together), have him back here and for whatever reason, it didn't work out, but he's doing a good job. He's playing good ball for them.”

Upon being sent to the Lions via trade, Detroit gave Brockers a three-year, $24 million contract extension. Perhaps awarding Brockers a sizeable contract extension was the impending element that forced the Rams to move on from his because his production and leadership qualities were indeed a bright spot.

Brockers was one of the longest-tenured Rams prior to the offseason trade. As a member of the Lions, he's recorded 18 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack.

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Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

Published Oct 21, 2021

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.