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The Rams acquired Dante Fowler in a trade during the 2018 season and the pass rusher came up with one of their biggest plays of the year when he got pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees before Brees was intercepted by safety John Johnson in overtime of the NFC Championship Game.

Fowler had two sacks and a forced fumble in eight regular season outings and the total package was enough to land him a one-year, $12 million deal to stay with the team this offseason. Fowler said landing with the Rams “felt like everything I was asking for” and now he’s shifted his focus to doing what it takes to extend his stay even longer.

“I’m just going to go out there and bust my tail and try to be the best player I can be on and off the field so I can try to figure out a way to stay here,” Fowler said, via the Los Angeles Times.

Head coach Sean McVay said he expects Fowler to play faster and be more decisive now that he’s had time to fully ingest the team’s defensive playbook. There are a lot of puzzle pieces to fit together under the Rams salary, but it will be difficult for the Rams to let him walk if that results in a more productive 2019.