LA Rams sign Daniel Bituli and Derrick Moncrief in nick of time

LB Bituli

The Rams had signed Daniel Bituli immediately following the 2020 NFL Draft. He was part of the Rams linebacker group through all of the virtual offseason team meetings. But when the time came for the Rams to shrink the roster from 90 to 80 players, he was one of the players given his walking papers.

But things come at you fast in the NFL.  The size of Bituli, 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, places him at the upper edge of interior linebackers the Rams have right now.  He’s also one of the most productive NCAA football players in the class of 2020. In 38 games, he generated 247 tackles, four sacks, 14.5 tackles for a loss, five deflected passes, and one interception.

Round two for Bituli?

Re-signing him to the team was a curious move and one that invites questions. Does he offer something in his college films that the Rams coaching staff was not seeing on the practice field? Were the Rams linebackers getting pushed around in practice, so the team is interested in bringing in a bigger beefier body for the position?  Or is it simply a spin of the wheel, where the team did not see enough out of their previous linebacker options, so spin the wheel and try again?

The option to bring Bituli in so late in the training camp process is a bit concerning. He won’t get enough snaps to truly be evaluated, and the fact is that his previous uphill battle is even steeper for him now to make the roster.  I love this guy’s size, but does he truly have a shot at the roster? If he makes the team, it will be to the practice squad. Too little too late is my guess.