The Los Angeles Rams opted to cut ties with former 3rd round pick Ernest Jones shortly ahead of last year’s season, and ever since, the future of the linebacker position has been one of the most intriguing questions facing the team.
It has become apparent over the last few years that the Rams don’t value the position very highly, evidenced by their lack of draft capital and salary cap space allocated to the position.
But like all positions in football, you need to field competence if you aren’t aiming for excellence. Last season was a perfect example of what happens when they failed to meet the requisite level and paid a hefty price against slot and run-heavy teams.
While many predicted the Rams to make a splash at the position to fix what sunk them last year, they have opted to make multiple small additions in order to raise the level of play at the position.
Los Angeles Rams LB Camp Battle
Ahead of the draft, the Rams added Nate Landman and re-signed Troy Reeder to join 2024 standout undrafted free agent Omar Speights. In the draft, they traded up into the fifth round to take Chris Paul Jr. Then, after the draft, they added another linebacker in Shaun Dolac, as a UDFA.
These four will compete for the starting role, which feels completely up for grabs. Reeder comes in with the most experience, but even he hasn’t taken on a season-long starting position. Landman stepped in for the Atlanta Falcons but was ultimately demoted. Speights was impressive when he filled in for Reeder when he was injured, but lacked consistency in coverage.
Paul plays with his ears pinned back for all four quarters, but is woefully underweight and has t-rex arms. Playing for the University of Buffalo, Dolac was a beast, leading college football with 168 tackles. But he suffers from the same size concerns as Paul, in addition to the question about translating his game to a higher level of football.
All have a spot on the team, certainly as special teamers, but this camp battle will be one to watch heading into the 2025 season.
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