5 LA Rams players most hurt by no OTAs this year

Inside linebacker

The LA Rams signed several inside linebacker prospects after the 2020 NFL Draft. From that class, inside linebacker, Christian Rozeboom, remains. He is a 6-foot-2 230-pound from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Or as the alumni like to chant, GoJacks.

Rozeboom should not be dismissed lightly. He put up impressive stats in four college football seasons: 475 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, and eight interceptions. He was steady-freddie, capable of demolishing opposing offenses from the start throughout his four year career. Was it that lack of improvement that dropped him out of the 2020 NFL Draft?

In any case, he downright outplayed inside linebacker teammate Clay Johnston in the 2020 training camp. Johnston would go on to sign with the Carolina Panthers. Rozeboom would remain on the Rams practice squad through the 2020 season. All the while, the roster with only three inside linebackers, and at times with only two healthy linebackers, seemed to be a perfect opportunity to activate Rozeboom.

Whatever the reason, the Rams opted to use more safeties instead, leaving Rozeboom in the on deck circle. With the addition of Ernest Jones, Rozeboom’s window of opportunity is closing once more. The LA Rams are clearly looking for long term solutions at the heart of the defensie for 2021 and beyond. Rozeboom, and his ability to shut down both the run and the pass, could be a prime cadidate for that longer-term role. But he will need to have the chance to impress the team’s coaches, a chance that another abbreviated offseason training camp schedule seems unwilling to afford him.