Rams need more than a linebacker to fix issues on defense

The Rams issues against the run come down to more than just the linebacker position

It’s almost too many offseasons to count at this point when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams fanbase pleading the team to draft a linebacker. That’s no different heading into the 2025 offseason with Christian Rozeboom set to leave and Omar Speights the only starting linebacker set to return.

The first half of the 2024 season seemed to be navigating the loss of Ernest Jones. Once the Rams plugged Speights into the defense following the injury to Troy Reeder, that position group got much better. Rozeboom went from a bottom-tier linebacker to middle of the pack. From Weeks 9-17, Rozeboom was PFF’s fifth-highest graded linebacker and graded out third in coverage. Speights ranked sixth against the run and was a top-10 tackling linebacker.

At the end of the day, it was a group that improved once they found their starting duo. Their two worst games came against the same team that managed to do it to most defenses throughout the season.

To be clear, this isn’t to say that the Rams don’t need an upgrade at linebacker. They should look to replace Rozeboom this offseason in the draft. However, to think a linebacker fixes all of the issues on defense isn’t understanding where the cause of the issues lies. In the same breath, Dre Greenlaw 34 snaps off of a torn Achilles or another big name linebacker isn’t magically fixing the Rams run defense. An upgrade at linebacker may help improve it to an extent, but it’s not making the issue completely disappear.

Before we go much further, it’s also important to note that the Rams have never placed high value on the linebacker position under Sean McVay. They’ve never drafted a linebacker inside the top-100. Players that they could have re-signed such as Ernest Jones and Cory Littleton, they traded away or opted not to bring back. When the Rams did sign Bobby Wagner, general manager Les Snead noted that they, “weren’t really planning for the opportunity.” It was more about Wagner wanting to play for his hometown team than it was the Rams seeking out Wagner.

The Rams defense has been modeled after the Vic Fangio scheme. While Chris Shula has his own variations and twists, that can be said about any schematic tree. The Eagles defense this season was led by a castaway at linebacker in Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean who had started four games in two seasons. Former top-10 pick Devin White was signed in the preseason by the Eagles and cut in October after not playing in any games. When Dean got injured in the playoffs, Oren Burks stepped in and played well. This is the same Oren Burks that was scapegoated by the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl just a year ago.

This is all to say, the Fangio defense doesn’t need an elite linebacker to succeed. In fact, with a strong player in the STAR, like the Eagles had in Cooper DeJean, the Fangio defense is built to hide some of those deficiencies.

Tying this back to the Rams, the issues on defense, especially in the run game are more complex than simply upgrading at linebacker. As with everything football related, it starts in the trenches. This is an area where the Rams have to get some more size. Kobie Turner ranked tenth in the NFL in run-defense via PFF while Bobby Brown III ranked 16th. Brown is set to be a free agent and the next closest Rams defensive lineman is Braden Fiske at 72. Fiske is a very good pass-rusher. However, coming out of Florida State his weight was in just the 17th percentile.

The Rams had a stuff rate of just 13.2 percent against the run which was the fourth-lowest in the NFL. Their 1.5 yards before contact ranked 21st while they ranked 24th in defense adjusted line yards. That’s a direct reflection of the defensive line.

It’s no coincidence that Brown was one of the Rams best run defenders along the defensive line and at 321 pounds, he’s in the 85th percentile. Even Tyler Davis is only in the 37th percentile. Too often the Rams got pushed around along the defensive line or because of their lack of size had to compensate with speed. Too often, edge players also lost gap control.

If Jared Verse ends up in the same gap as Christian Rozeboom, is that the inside linebacker’s fault? Again, that’s not to say that Rozeboom is perfect or that an upgrade isn’t needed at that spot. At the same time, more disciplined play and some more size along the defensive line would go a long way.

It wasn’t all going to get fixed in one offseason. After losing Aaron Donald, the Rams did a fantastic job to make that position group the star of the defense. Again, this is a Rams defensive line that is set to lose Bobby Brown III as well as some depth in Larrell Murchison and Neville Gallimore. While it may not be a top need this offseason, it is absolutely still a need.

Moving into the back seven is another spot where the Rams have to get better. Not every player is going to be Cooper DeJean. At the same time, the STAR position plays an extremely important role in the Fangio defense. Having a player like DeJean who is essentially a third linebacker playing in the nickel is a huge advantage. It’s why the Rams played Jalen Ramsey in that spot in 2020 and 2021.

DeJean was one of the best tackling cornerbacks in the NFL. There’s a reason he ranked second against the run according to PFF with a 5.6 percent missed tackle rate. Quentin Lake wasn’t bad against the run last season, but he also wasn’t consistently able to play the STAR as the Rams needed him in a two-high role especially in the middle of the season while Kam Kinchens got up to speed with John Johnson III out.

Similar to the defensive line, outside of Lake, the Rams secondary struggled against the run. Behind Lake, the next closest Rams safety against the run was Kam Curl at 55 via PFF while Kam Kinchens ranked 67th. Kinchens also had a missed tackle rate of 14.3 percent which ranked 65th out of 97 qualifying safeties.

At cornerback, Durant has consistently been one of the worst cornerbacks against the run due to his size and both Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams weren’t much better. Many of the big runs that the Eagles had were because a Rams safety or cornerback took a bad angle or missed a tackle at the ankles.

The issues that the Rams had against the run last season go much deeper than just one position. They need to add size to the defensive line and add defensive backs that can tackle and make plays in the run game. Adding a linebacker may allow the Rams to utilize their 3-safety dime package more selectively, but it also doesn’t hide some of the other issues as well.

We’ll see how the Rams approach the linebacker position this offseason and how much they prioritize it. If they do add a player at the position, it likely won’t be an expensive free agent or a player drafted in the first round at 26. History under McVay and the Fangio scheme say the opposite. The Rams need a linebacker and need an upgrade at the position. With that said, it also doesn’t solve all of their issues.