Von Miller loves playing alongside Greg Gaines: ‘He’s a great player’

There are a lot of big names on the Rams’ defensive front. Aaron Donald and Von Miller are future Hall of Famers, while Leonard Floyd is a former first-round pick who has stepped up with the Rams the last two seasons.

But Greg Gaines is a player who has really stepped up in the middle of the defensive line, playing nearly every snap each week. He’s become more than just a squatty run defender who doesn’t contribute much as a pass rusher, proving his pre-draft scouting report wrong.

Gaines recorded another two tackles and two more quarterback hits on Tuesday against the Seahawks, once again catching the eye of Von Miller. Miller even said Gaines is on a similar trajectory as Aaron Donald in terms of proving his doubters wrong.

“He can play some football, for sure,” Miller said. “You can say what you want about him. This, that, he’s not tall enough. But this guy, he can play. And they said some of the same things about 99 and he’s been proving guys wrong for years and I think Greg Gaines is on that same trajectory. He’s a great player and whenever you put the pads on, he can play. He can do anything you want him to do. I like working with Greg Gaines.”

Gaines became a starter in Week 8 when Sebastian Joseph-Day went down, recording three sacks and eight quarterback hits in his last seven games. Those are impressive numbers for a nose tackle, and he’s showing why he deserves to be in the mix as the best player at his position this season.

Miller and Donald can both see it, and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world does, too.