LA Rams: ILB Troy Reeder may springboard 2020 into 2021 starter

Reeder may have been the best of 2020 bunch

While no individual inside linebacker set the world afire, Reeders was perhaps the most promising. He played 421 defensive snaps and showed no signs of injury (durability). He improved his ability to tackle from a disturbing 13.4 percent missed tackle rate in 2019 to a better but not good 9.0 percent rate in 2020.  He piled up three quarterback sacks and added 81 tackles for a rather solid showing. That was in just seven starts, very impressive.

Los Angeles Rams

He even improved his pass coverage by allowing just 30 of 39 passes thrown his way to find their intended target for 215 yards. That dropped the completion rate against him from  94.1 percent in 2019 to a more reasonable 76.9 percent rate in 2020.  Again, not earth-shattering, but certainly making progress in the right direction.

Now the LA Rams are faced with trying out inside linebackers for the 2021 season. Micah Kiser may flash brilliance, but durability is certainly questionable as he has played just nine games over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, as much as I have hoped for inside linebacker Kenny Young to step up and take over a starting role since arriving from the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, that really has not happened.

The Rams will certainly be well served to afford all inside linebackers a solid opportunity to showcase their talents this offseason. While the Rams have plenty of footage on Kiser, Young, Reeder, and even Travin Howard, they will want to see how the CFL-savvy Derrick Moncrief and the rangy and adept Christian Rozeboom clicks with the starters. And they will want to afford every chance in the world to develop and showcase rookie Ernest Jones, particularly after using a surprisingly early draft pick to add him to the team’s roster.