[Elvis]

https://theathletic.com/1915476/2020/07 ... =twittered

How the Rams’ ‘open competition’ at inside linebacker could play out this fall

By Jourdan Rodrigue and Rich Hammond Jul 8, 2020

Inside linebacker Cory Littleton worked his way up from special-teams contributor to a standout starting role for the Rams, but because they could not re-sign him this spring, his vacancy looms large, right in the middle of the field.

It wasn’t just Littleton’s leadership that will be missed — he also provided excellent coverage ability. The Rams will enlist cornerback Jalen Ramsey to play in a big nickel role when help is required, but which player among a young, promising group of inside linebackers can fill a full-time starting role?

There is nobody quite like Littleton, who signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in March, but can the Rams reproduce a similar success story in 2020?

Projected inside linebacker depth chart:

Micah Kiser
Travin Howard
Troy Reeder
Kenny Young
Clay Johnston
Bryan London II
Christian Rozeboom
Daniel Bituli

Jourdan Rodrigue: First-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said a lot to like in his comments to media this spring. Among the key items that most stood out to me was his labeling of the inside linebacker spot as an “open competition.” And it makes sense! The Rams will be without Littleton in 2020, and behind him is a wealth of unproven talent — and perhaps potential, too. And the bottom line is, whoever the starter is has a long way to go in a hurry.

Rich Hammond: This is a big swing by the Rams, in my mind. They didn’t bring in any free agents — or early-round draft picks — at inside linebacker. They have talent. Micah Kiser probably was on his way to being a starter last year before a pectoral injury in training camp ended his season. Travin Howard came on strong at the end of last season. But neither of these guys has proven much over the long haul in regular-season games and now — going back to our discussion about the offensive line — there’s not going to be much time to sort this out. Training camp is going to be unconventional and there might not be any preseason games. I wonder what Staley is thinking right about now.

Rodrigue: And I get it, honestly. Rising talent can’t rise if not given a chance, and a financially unviable ILB market in the spring (plus no salary-cap room) led to the inability to pay Littleton long term and also probably hindered their options to sign a veteran there. This is quite a gamble the Rams are taking, and in some ways it means it’s not super surprising to hear they will play Ramsey in the slot some to help lock down the middle of the field. But that’s basically against bigger receivers and tight ends. So the rest of the time, the incoming starter will have a steep learning curve. And I don’t even know how you begin to separate yourself when there will be extremely limited on-field time once training camp begins.

Hammond: And to your point about Ramsey, the Rams have safeties in John Johnson and Taylor Rapp who are very comfortable playing closer to the line of scrimmage, so that would help. During the draft, and right after it ended, I asked a couple Rams people about not adding an ILB. The response, essentially, was that they didn’t see anyone from the third round down who would have provided a substantial upgrade. I get that.

And really, the value of bringing someone in would have been experience, and a rookie isn’t going to bring experience. And like you said — here’s our obligatory reference to the Rams’ cap situation — bringing in a veteran probably wasn’t feasible, nor was retaining Littleton. I’m looking closely at Kiser. At Virginia, he won something called the “Academic Heisman,” which definitely is something I wasn’t in the running for in college. I think if Staley is looking for someone to be that “defensive quarterback” in the middle of the field, Kiser might be his guy.

Rodrigue: I completely agree with you on Kiser. And here’s the interesting thing about Staley, who has a good bit of coaching experience at linebacker — he used to be a quarterback! So he’s looking for a Mike linebacker who can see the field in a similar way, and break an opponent down — not just making the call itself, but seeing the variables and all of the ways the pieces on the chess board can move. And that, to me, does make Kiser a front-runner here for the starting job.

Behind him, more young talent! I am really intrigued by Troy Reeder and Clay Johnston, the latter of whom was a Rams seventh-rounder this spring. Reeder transferred to Delaware from Penn State and I remember that being a huge loss for “Linebacker U” because Reeder largely was known as someone who could just flat-out hit. The small-schooler went undrafted but honestly, Rich, as he enters his second NFL season I think he’s someone to keep an eye on through the year as he continues to develop. At the very least, he can be a key contributor on special teams.

Same goes for Johnston, who I feel was an absolute steal for the Rams. I sat down with him at the combine and asked him to diagram some plays for me because (at the time covering the Panthers) I was curious about his role in Baylor’s defensive scheme. Johnston fell in the draft because of a knee injury that sidelined him last season, and if he can come back from it 100 percent I think he could be a rising contributor.


Troy Reeder started eight games last season and forced two fumbles. (Robert Hanashiro / USA Today)
Hammond: Never forget, Clay Johnston is ready to run through a door. He’s one to watch. The skill sets are different, but Littleton was an undrafted free agent, so there’s certainly a precedent for a less-hyped college player to carve out a huge role with the Rams. Reeder did well for himself last year. Nobody expected a lot from him, but after Kiser and Bryce Hager went down with injuries, Reeder got pushed in a role that probably was bigger than him, in terms of his age and experience. He did well for himself. Ideally, I’d still think he’s a depth player, but there’s nothing wrong with that, and, as you said, he’s certainly young enough to develop into a bigger role. So I think the Rams at least have the potential to be in good shape there, and Johnston figures to be a fantastic special-teams contributor.

One of the players I’m watching closest, not just within this group but on the entire team, is Howard. Things went sour for the Rams near the end of last season, but I’d encourage fans to go back and watch the December games and specifically watch No. 48. He was making some plays, and I’m not saying he’s going to make people forget about Littleton, but he showed a lot.

Rodrigue: Back at TCU, Howard was a tackling machine. And in his flashes of opportunity last season you could certainly see that.

Because the Rams (as you mentioned in your great point about Littleton) are hoping to again develop a later-round or UDFA inside linebacker into a starting-caliber player, we once again circle back to Staley and assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Barry. To me, knowing you’ll lose Littleton and won’t be replacing him with middle-round draft picks or a veteran free agent says a lot about the trust Sean McVay has in those coaches to bring along a group of guys who, thus far, have shown some potential. And it also, to me, says a bit about their belief in Staley’s plan for shoring up the middle of the field when it will be an obvious target point for opposing offenses.

Hammond: Definitely. I think all the pieces are here. They just have to put them together.

The bigger-picture thing to me is, what does all this mean for the Rams’ run defense? They actually took a pretty big step forward from 2018 to 2019, which was impressive, but at times the Rams have had some issues with guys who maybe were a little undersized on that second level. I think, from a physical sense, they’re in good position here. One more name to throw in the mix is Kenny Young, who came over in the Marcus Peters trade. He didn’t really find a role in the defense last year, and if he can’t make an impact in camp, perhaps one of those younger guys you mentioned earlier can steal a roster spot.

My only question with this group is experience. At the start, I think Kiser and Howard are best positioned to claim those two starting spots. What do you think?

Rodrigue: I think you’re spot-on with Kiser and Howard. I still would say that Reeder is a little bit of a dark horse, but we also know that special teams always needs its role players! I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on who stands out on special teams from this group — the Rams really found a pretty solid UDFA class, and particularly so at linebacker. Small-school standouts Rozeboom and London II both have a lot of potential.

I’ll tell you what, I’m Clay Johnston-levels eager to see how this battle shakes out into September.

Hammond: I’m going to say it’s impossible to duplicate that level of enthusiasm, but go for it!

[safer]

The simple reason I wanted to keep Cory, over signing olber Floyd is that we have more talent and depth at olber.

[ramsrams]

Nice discussion.

Still don’t have an ILB that can shed a block and make a tackle, though.

That is kind of important.