With Aaron Donald gone, Kobie Turner became voice of Rams' defense -- and 'Masked Singer'

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times on Dec 7, 2024

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — Kobie Turner's musical talent is not a mystery.

The defensive lineman's post-sack celebration includes choral- and orchestral-inspired movements that in college earned him the nickname "The Conductor."

Turner also can sing. During the offseason, he belted the national anthem before Lakers and Kings games. And this week, it was revealed that Turner had been a contestant on the television show "The Masked Singer," making it to the quarterfinals before he was eliminated.

"Just to be under a mask is a really cool experience," Turner said Thursday, a day after his identity was revealed on the show. "I never thought of the power in that, but I was completely myself."

Turner also has found his voice on the field. He is the leader of a young line that includes edge rusher Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, both of whom have earned defensive rookie-of-the-month recognition.

"He has a great way of speaking up when it's necessary, but he shows it with the effort, the urgency and the sense of purpose that he plays with every single snap," coach Sean McVay said of Turner.

Turner and the defense will be tested Sunday by the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen at SoFi Stadium. The Bills (10-2) have won seven games in a row and have scored at least 30 points in the last six, including a 35-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.

Allen, 6 feet 5 and 237 pounds, has passed for 20 touchdowns with five interceptions. He has rushed for six touchdowns and has been sacked only 13 times.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge," Turner said, adding that the Rams must rush with "vertical violence" and "assault the pocket" to contain Allen.

"No quarterback can scramble if the pocket is completely closed in on him," Turner said, adding, "It kind of just goes into the chemistry we have as a D-line."

Turner, 25, has helped blend the talents and personalities of Rams linemen and pass rushers. After future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald retired last spring, Turner inherited the position group's leadership mantle. Although McVay and other coaches counseled Turner to just be himself, he said he experienced some "nerve-racking" anxiety.

Turner ascended to the NFL after beginning his college career as a walk-on at Richmond and finishing it as a graduate transfer at Wake Forest. The Rams took him in the third round of the 2023 draft, and he recorded nine sacks en route to becoming a finalist for defensive rookie of the year.

Turner said that throughout his journey, he led by example. Now he would be called on to also use his voice.

"There's going to be a time when you've got to step up and you gotta say the hard thing," he said. "And that's something that at times I can struggle with."

Turner gradually has become more comfortable telling peers and older teammates what he thought they needed to hear.

"To be able to look somebody in the eye and tell them, like, 'This isn't good enough,' and like 'You've got to do your job and be accountable'... I've had so much growth through that," said Turner, who has five sacks, seven tackles for lost yardage and four pass breakups. "I feel like just leadership-wise, where I started at Day 1 and or Week 1 to where I am now is so much different."

Verse, who has 4 1/2 sacks, said Turner has been instrumental in his success.

"He takes a load off you mentally because he's such a leader," Verse said. ''He'll tell you exactly what he sees happening and how he thinks the situation will be dictated."

Turner had no idea how his appearance on "The Masked Singer" would play out. He was approached during the offseason and went through preproduction during the Rams' organized-team activities. He was not allowed to tell anyone about his role in the show until his identity was revealed Wednesday night.

That made for some unusual moments, such as when a teammate asked why he kept humming Ne-Yo's song "Miss Independent" in the hot tub after practice.

"It was really hard to keep that from the guys," Turner said, "but once all the recording was done it was like, 'OK, let's get back to ball.' … And then when the show started coming on, I got really excited for it."

Now Turner is looking forward to helping the Rams make a playoff push. On Thursday he was sporting custom thigh pads in his uniform pants that are embossed with music notes. For Turner, that was just another example of perfect pitch.