The Rams Biggest Roster Hole That Still Hasn’t Been Addressed

The Los Angeles Rams are one piece away from having the NFL's top defensive unit

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) tackles Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) short of the goal line during the fourth quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams have been hard at work and while their moves in free agency haven't been plentiful, the Rams' front office has been surgical with addressing pressing needs, investing millions into their defensive secondary over the last six months.

The Rams have retained Kam Curl and Quentin Lake while adding Super Bowl champions Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to their outside cornerback rotation. While the Rams roster is quickly coming together, with a perfect mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent, there remains one hole on the roster that hasn't been addressed and that is the off-ball linebacker position.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) makes a catch against Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) during the second half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Historically, the Rams have not invested heavily into the position during the Sean McVay era, with Bobby Wagner's one year in Los Angeles being the lone exception. The Rams lucked out that Nate Landman turned out to be a steal but after Landman and Omar Speights struggled against multiple versions of the Shanahan offense last season, it was clear they needed a third player to complete the room.

The good news is that the Rams have every opportunity to address the position.

The State Of The Rams Linebackers

This is now way meant to say that Landman and Speights haven't been up to standard, given the variety of roles they've had to undertake. This is saying that styles make fights and their usage is forcing them to conform to a style that takes away their fight.

The Rams need a coverage linebacker or a linebacker who is an effective blitzer, to then allow six defensive backs to drop into coverage. Chris Shula and the Rams have made it clear that they have brought in cornerbacks who are able to play man, allowing defenses to blitz.

Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula at press conference during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Both McDuffie and Watson played massive roles in Steve Spagnuolo's defense, a defense that has produced four Super Bowls because his corners are good enough for Spagnuolo to design blitzes. If the Rams get a linebacker who can cover or blitz, that's the perfect weapon for Shula to stack the line of scrimmage with defenders, dropping random players into coverage in order to disguise what they're in.

On top of that, when the Rams run their base run defense, they will have a linebacker who can cover, forcing teams to abandon their play-action attack. This would be the final piece needed for Shula to control the pen for 60 minutes every Sunday.