Rams Need More From Linebacker Nate Landman Amid Concerning Decline

One of the best free agent signings for the Los Angeles Rams heading into the 2025 season was linebacker Nate Landman. In the first 11 weeks of the season, Landman had four forced fumbles and had 91 tackles. During that time, Pro Football Focus graded him as the 20th-best linebacker in the NFL.

For a team that had struggled for years to find stability at the linebacker position, they seemingly found it in Landman. The Rams typically haven’t paid linebackers since giving an extension to Alec Ogletree. However, prior to Week 12, the Rams signed Landman to a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension.

It wasn’t breaking the bank by any means. Heading into 2026, Landman’s $7.5 million average per year is tied for 30th among linebackers. Still, the extension was notable given how the Rams have typically spent at the position.

With that said, an argument can be made that the Rams paid Landman too early and handing him an extension was the result of them grasping for something that may not have been there. It may have simply been Landman going on a good run rather than establishing a new norm..

Landman on a one-year deal for $11 million was great value. Since signing his extension, Landman’s level of play has dropped off significantly and has been much closer to what it was throughout his career with the Atlanta Falcons.

Landman Hasn’t Sustained His Early Success

From Week 1 to Week 11 last year, Landman was PFF’s 20th-ranked linebacker and forced four fumbles. He had four games with 10 or more tackles and a missed tackle rate of just 10.2 percent. From Week 12 until the end of the season, he was PFF’s 33rd-ranked linebacker and did not force a single fumble. He had three games with 10 or more tackles, two of which came in the playoffs, and had a 19.1 percent missed tackle rate.

The hope was that after another offseason in the system, Landman could get back to his level from the first half of 2025.

“I think Nate is starting to take the next step,” said defensive coordinator Chris Shula right before the season. “Having guys that have been in the defense [with] Landman going on his second year here, but he really feels like a huge veteran presence for us.”

Landman’s Struggles Have Continued in 2026

That has since gotten even worse this season. Landman has dealt with some injuries, but he is PFF’s 48th-ranked linebacker out of 50 and he has not forced a fumble this season. He doesn’t have a game with 10 or more tackles and had just three in Week 3 against the Broncos. In Weeks 1-11 last year, he had one game with fewer than five tackles. He’s had three since. His missed tackle rate is back to 10.5 percent through three games.

Through his first 11 games, Landman was a playmaker, as evidenced by his four forced fumbles. However, that was always going to be a high bar to maintain. The most concerning part of his drop-off is his tackling.

There’s no denying that Landman has not been the same player that he was before signing the extension. It’s hard to blame the Rams for paying Landman when they did, but it also would have made sense to wait until the end of the season. He likely still would have been back, but the Rams also wouldn’t have been paying him after the best stretch of his career.

Rams Still Have a Problem at Linebacker

The Rams have a glaring weakness on defense and that’s at linebacker. However, after paying Landman, that shouldn’t be the case. He should be able to provide a reliable presence in the middle of the defense. If the Rams saw Landman as being good enough for an extension, he should elevate the position group. Instead, it feels like they are back where they started before last year and in need of a linebacker. It is worth noting that the Rams traded Ernest Jones in part because they didn’t want to pay him. Jones is making just $2 million per year more than Landman.

This isn’t to necessarily say that the Rams made the wrong decision by extending Landman. At the time, he was worthy of an extension and was someone they felt could be a pillar of their defense. The overall concern here is whether the Rams committed to Landman based on a level of play that was going to be very difficult to sustain.

There’s still time for Landman to turn it around in 2026 and he’s been managing injuries, which is worth noting. However, this decline has been going on since the end of last season and has continued into this year. His level of play in the first half of last season feels much more like the exception, while the last 13 games are much closer to the norm and how he played with the Falcons.

The Rams don’t need Landman to be a top-20 linebacker, but they do need him to be consistent and be capable of making the occasional big play. That’s why they paid him last year. However, Landman hasn’t been consistent since the middle of last season, and the team’s long-standing issues at linebacker have continued.

Add us as a preferred source on Google