Rams Position Battles: Let's Not Complicate the Linebacker Room

However, the tide may be turning as Pro Football Focus' Jacob Infante stated that the linebacker room remains the Rams most interesting position battle.

"The Los Angeles Rams struggled to find consistency at linebacker last season," wrote Infante. "With former starter Christian Rozeboom now in Carolina, it figures to be a key position battle for them in training camp."

"Omar Speights and Troy Reeder both saw sporadic starting time last year, but neither was particularly elite. The Rams signed Nate Landman in free agency, and he figures to compete for a starting spot. Keep an eye on Chris Paul Jr., their fifth-round pick this year, who feels like a great value selection that late in the 2025 NFL Draft."

I agree with Infante, especially since virtually every other position has been settled for the most part.

However, the answer is not hard. The starting linebackers should be Omar Speights and Nate Landman. They have the experience that Paul Jr doesn't have, and Troy Reeder is good in rotation.

However, the linebackers were the Rams' Achilles heel in 2024, and their inability to form an effective unit led to big performances by Saquon Barkley, of course, leading to the end of their season.

Before the 2024 season, once Speights made the roster, I wrote this about him.

Speights had a massive amount of hype as a UDFA due to his film, the level of competition he played against, and his versatility on the football field. He proved his believers right with a strong performance in camp, establishing himself as a tackling machine.

I expect Speights to slowly make his way into the starting lineup, especially with the departure of Ernest Jones. While Speights should make plays early, perhaps more on special teams initially, the fact he's not only on the 53-man roster but will be on the 48-man game-day roster should mean massive amounts of playing time for the LSU Tiger.

Once he got his opportunity, Speights established himself as a premier defender, and his tools have allowed him to become a versatile weapon for Chris Shula, something I predicted.

Paul Jr is a player that could eclipse Landman for the starting role once he gets up to speed but Landman is my sleeper. He understands the scheme, having played in it last year with Raheem Morris and he has looked instictual in OTAs.

The 2025 Rams linebacker room might be the best linebacker room the Rams have had in a long time, and the way they communicate with each other is a testament to their dedication, but the thing I'm excited about is they're not playing reactionary football, they're hunting.

Expect big things from the linebacker room in 2025.

A side note. I've been critical of Reeder in the past, but there was something during OTAs, perhaps a newfound confidence that may become a story throughout training camp.