Even though offenses have been geared more toward throwing the ball than running it, the linebacker position remains one of the most important on defense. It often features the play caller, as well as the team’s leading tackler. Having a linebacker who can both cover and stop the run is a huge plus for a defense, which is exactly what the Rams had with Cory Littleton for the last two years when he was a starter.
Now the Rams are left with no proven players at inside linebacker heading into 2020, potentially starting Micah Kiser and Travin Howard in Week 1. Also in the mix are Troy Reeder, Kenny Young and Clay Johnston, none of whom will instill much confidence at linebacker, either.
It’s why Pro Football Focus ranked the Rams’ linebacker unit last in the NFL, right below the Bengals and Browns. That’s with the belief that Leonard Floyd will play inside linebacker some, too, which the Rams haven’t really given any indications will happen.
The rest of the unit is wide open, starting with a pair of 2018 draft picks in Micah Kiser and Travin Howard. Kiser has just one snap to his name, while Howard saw the field for 102 snaps last year, grading at 60.7 overall.
Kenny Young comes over from Baltimore where he’s graded in the 50s across two years and 480 snaps. Troy Reeder returns after a rough 28.6 grade as a rookie on his 298 snaps. The Rams also add former seventh-rounder Clay Johnston, who was off to a great start with an 83.1 grade and five pass breakups through six games before a knee injury ended his season.
Reeder has the most experience of anyone in the Rams’ system, starting eight games at linebacker last season. Young didn’t play a single defensive snap with L.A. last year, but he is a former starter for the Ravens, starting six games in Baltimore before being traded.
Kiser still seems like the best bet to earn one of the starting roles after he was on track to line up next to Littleton last season prior to a pectoral injury in the preseason, but he won’t be handed the job. Howard showed signs of potential after a strong finish to the 2019 season, but he’s also a raw player who transitioned from college safety to linebacker.
The Rams’ linebackers have a lot to prove, and if they can’t step up in place of Littleton, the defense as a whole could begin to crumble.
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