L.A. Rams position outlook 2021: Linebackers
Leonard Floyd had a breakout season at outside linebacker, while Micah Kiser and Troy Reeder emerged as steady contributors at inside linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams last season. Floyd will be an unrestricted free agent and the Rams could have trouble bringing him back in free agency because of cap constraints. Kiser and Reeder remain on the roster and give Los Angeles players that can take on more of a leadership role in the middle of the defense in 2021.
Locks: Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young, Terrell Lewis, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Justin Hollins.
On the bubble: Travin Howard, Justin Lawler, Christian Rozeboom, Derrick Moncrief
Free agents: Leonard Floyd, Samson Ebukam, Derek Rivers
The good: Floyd had his best season as a pro, finishing with 10.5 sacks in 16 games. The University of Georgia product was also good against the run as a tall, rangy defender setting the edge, totaling 55 combined tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. Kiser played solid in his first season as a starter at inside linebacker, finishing with 77 combined tackles, three interceptions, 10 pass break ups and a forced fumble. His backup Troy Reeder totaled 81 combined tackles and three sacks as a part-time starter. Kenny Young finished with 52 combined tackles, a sack and an interception returned 79 yards for a score. The Rams held opponents to 5.8 points per game in the second half during the regular season and forced 51, 3-and-outs (No. 2 in the NFL).
The bad: Kiser couldn’t stay healthy, missing seven games due to groin and knee injuries. The Rams gave up disappointing,188 rushing yards in an NFC divisional playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. At times, the Rams struggled to defend the perimeter on outside runs and the quick passing game at the second level defensively, particularly against the San Francisco 49ers.
The money: Young ($2.1 million) and Lewis ($1,054,226) are the only linebackers scheduled to make over $1 million currently on L.A.’s roster if they make final roster cuts for the start of the 2021 season. Okoronkwo ($988,634), Lawler ($938,437), Hollins ($850,00), Howard ($850,000), Rozeboom ($850,000), Kiser ($850,000), Reeder ($850,00) and Moncrief ($660,00) are all scheduled to make under a million for the upcoming season. With other positions on defense (Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey) taking up a healthy chunk of the salary cap, the Rams have good value and depth at this position heading into offseason workouts.
Draft priority: The linebackers’ group has been a punching bag for Rams’ twitter because of a perceived lack of speed and issues with missed tackles, but as a group they’ve produced. The Rams have young, experienced depth that know and understand the defensive system. Rams GM Les Snead will look to add more speed to this group through the draft or free agency, no doubt. And they get a guy who can run back into the fold in Howard if he returns healthy from a torn meniscus that forced him to miss last season. It will likely be hard to bring back Floyd in free agency. Along with Ebukam hitting the free agency market, the Rams need to add pass rush help on the edge. With reps, coaching and better health, Lewis has a chance to develop into a productive pass rusher. Hollins proved a solid contributor last season. They also have a new coach overseeing the entire linebacker group in Mike Shula, promoted from outside linebackers coach (I wrote about Shula last year here). So, I’m interested to see the changes that Shula makes.
