Time for other Rams to step up on defense following Micah Kiser injury

With Micah Kiser out indefinitely, the Los Angeles Rams will need other linebackers to step up big on defense.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Rams just became one of the latest victims of dealing with a devastating injury this time of year after it was announced that Micah Kiser will be out indefinitely due to a left pectoral injury suffered during Saturday’s game.

This time of year is always risky for teams participating in the preseason when looking at all of the injuries taking place, and while the Rams ended up resting most of their starters once again when facing the Dallas Cowboys, Kiser was still looking to make a case for himself.

Looking at the depth chart over the last couple of months, Kiser was considered one of the early favorites to start at inside linebacker for Los Angeles alongside Cory Littleton.

Last year, the Rams felt confident enough in Kiser being a steal from the draft after making the decision to trade up in the fifth round to acquire the former Virginia star, and that appeared to be the case after appearing in every single game as a rookie.

Rightfully so, there was plenty of excitement surrounding Kiser entering his second NFL season now that he had a year of playing experience under his belt, but now there’s no telling when exactly the linebacker will return with his surgery scheduled for Tuesday.

At least when looking at the depth at linebacker, the good news for the Rams is while it is obviously devastating to lose a young talent in Kiser, there is also an opportunity for other players to step up.

Whether it happens to be Bryce Hager or even Dakota Allen, Kiser’s injury could result in either of these two players seeing a boost in playing time on the field during the 2019 season, as Wade Phillips will be looking for all of the extra help possible on defense moving forward.

No matter how much the Rams may regret playing Kiser in a meaningless preseason game against the Cowboys since it already seemed clear that he would be one of the starters, all they can do now is be patient and hope for a speedy recovery.

Losing Kiser is a crushing blow for obvious reasons since he’s just scratching the surface of his true potential.

But just like every other team, the mindset needs to be next man up for the Rams so they don’t lose focus of what’s most important, which is earning another trip to the Super Bowl during the 2019 season.