Throughout the Sean McVay and Les Snead era in Los Angeles, it has almost been a running joke on how much they have ignored the linebacker position. After paying linebacker Alec Ogletree in early 2017, the Rams cut him five months later. Over the next eight years, the Rams didn’t just not pay a linebacker, they hardly invested in the position at all.
During the McVay era, the Rams never invested a top-100 pick on the linebacker position. Ernest Jones was taken with pick 103 and the only linebacker this regime has taken before the third day of the NFL Draft. When it came time to pay Jones, the Rams didn’t just trade him away; they got almost nothing in return. Jones ended up signing a three-year, $33 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks last spring.
A lot gets made of the Rams passing on Creed Humphrey for Tutu Atwell in 2020. However, the pick after Atwell was Nick Bolton who has been one of the better, young linebackers in the NFL. In 2024, the Rams took a backup running back instead of arguably the best linebacker in the draft in Payton Wilson.
The Rams made the Super Bowl in 2018 with an undrafted free agent in Cory Littleton leading the team in tackles. When the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Troy Reeder was the team’s starting linebacker for much of the season. Reeder was also an undrafted free agent.
Throughout the McVay era, the Rams have developed undrafted free agents at the linebacker position. Christian Rozeboom started many games in 2024. A big reason why the Rams moved on from Jones was because of the emergence of an undrafted free agent in Omar Speights.
Even this past offseason when the Rams needed a linebacker, they signed Nate Landman to a one-year, $1.1 million contract. The linebacker that they drafted inside the top-200 was cut after the preseason. Chris Paul Jr. was cut in large part becauset he Rams were so impressed by an undrafted free agent they signed, Shaun Dolac.
One exception was made in 2022 when the Rams signed Bobby Wagner in free agency. However, that was more about his desire to play for his hometown team than the Rams actively pursuing him.
Prior to Sunday’s Week 12 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rams announced a three-year, $22.5 million extension with Landman. Given how the Rams have handled the linebacker position, it’s partially what makes the extension somewhat surprising. Nobody would have been shocked that the Rams re-signed Landman, but there was certainly reason for surprise, especially with it getting done in-season. The Rams didn’t even wait for Landman to hit free agency.
Getting the deal done early does benefit the Rams as Landman won’t have an opportunity to test the market for his value. Last season, the Eagles ended up waiting to extend Zach Baun and ended up re-signing him to a three-year, $51 million contract in March. Baun was an offseason priority for the Eagles, but they may have saved some money by getting that deal done in-season.
According to Over The Cap, Nate Landman’s current OTC evaluation is close to $11 million. The Rams re-signed him for an average of $7.5 million and only $15.6 million of that is guaranteed. Landman got his pay raise and the Rams got a core piece of their defense re-signed on a team-friendly deal.
It can’t be understated how much of an impact Landman has had for the Rams defense. Last season, stopping the run was a liability defensively. It’s a large reason why they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles not once, but twice. That was especially the case in the playoffs. Had the Rams been able to stop the run in the playoff game, they potentially go on to play in the Super Bowl.
This season, the Rams held Saquon Barkley to 18 carries for just 46 yards. Christian McCaffrey has averaged less than three yards per carry in three games this season. Two of those games have come against the Rams. The Rams defense has allowed just a single 100-yard rusher this season and that was Derrick Henry.
While some of that has to do with the signing of Poona Ford, Landman has impacted that as well. The Rams run defense is allowing 2.55 yards after contact per rush which is the fifth-best in the NFL. That’s despite playing light boxes at the second-highest rate.
One of the reasons that the Rams have moved to more 12 and 13 personnel on offense is because of where the NFL has moved defensively. Defenses have swapped big, physical linebackers for smaller, more athletic players that excel in coverage. By using 12 and 13 personnel, the Rams can get teams in base and take advantage of those matchups, especially in the run game before creating chunk plays over the top through the air.
That connects back to what the Rams are getting out of Landman. They are able to continue playing light boxes because Landman doesn’t disappear in the run game. He is PFF’s 12th-highest graded linebacker against the run and his 26 run stops rank fourth. Landman has a 9.9 percent run-stop rate which is sixth among linebackers.
It goes beyond that though. The Rams struggled tackling at the second level in 2024. Troy Reeder had an 11.5 percent missed tackle rate while Rozeboom’s was 12 percent. This season, Landman’s 7.1 percent missed tackle rate ranks 12th. As a team, the Rams have a 5.7 percent missed tackle rate which is the best in the league. Last season, they had the seventh most missed tackles.
The Rams re-signed Landman in part because the linebacker position is making a slight comeback with how offenses want to play. Additionally, he’s simply been a key member of their defense. Landman was voted a team-captain in his first season. Outside of being a sure-tackler, Landman also leads the NFL with four forced fumbles. He’s been a consistent playmaker.
This isn’t to say that the Rams are going to spend a first-round pick on a linebacker, but they at least recognizing the value that a player like Landman provides. It always felt like it would need to be the right player for the Rams to break their M.O. at the linebacker position, and that player has been Landman.
