LA Rams: 4 training camp battles that could define season

Who will be the bookend outside linebacker to veteran Leonard Floyd?

The Rams outside linebacker room may be filled with talent and youth, but not much in the way of NFL experience past Leonard Floyd. So that makes it a bit difficult to gauge who will land the right to start on the Rams defense opposite Floyd. For all intents and purposes, nobody has a true advantage in terms of NFL experience or production.

Based on head coach Sean McVay’s comments, the front runner will likely be 6-foot-5, 248-pound outside linebacker Justin Hollins. If you recall, Hollins was poached from the Denver Broncos waiver wire as he was cross-trained at both inside linebacker and outside linebacker roles, and he had a history playing for then defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. After easing into the defense in September 2020, he grew his role in the rotation to play as many as half of the defensive snaps in a game. He understood the Rams’ defense, and his ability to show up each game absolutely gives him a huge advantage this year.

The next tier to consider includes both Terrell Lewis and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo.  Both players have the solid talent to master the role and return again for another crack at earning the start. If healthy, I think Lewis would land this role hands down. But durability is a huge question mark for both players. So they will need to prove that they can endure training camp with no dings, bruises, or ouchies that will sideline them.

Finally, the team has plenty of reason to keep both Chris Garrett and Max Roberts in the peripheral vision. While they arrive at training camp with a huge deficit in terms of experience, just showing up and performing each day could be enough to leapfrog either Lewis or Obo if either suffers injury in training camp. Ultimately, one or the other must prove the ability to get after the quarterback, set the edge, handle blockers and rushers, and defend the pass.

Finally, the team welcomes back Justin Lawler, a player who last contributed to the team in 2018. He underwent foot surgery in 2019, a surgery that forced him to injured reserve for the entire 2019 season. He remained on injured reserve for 2020 as his injured foot was stepped on in training camp, returning Lawler to IR for another season. Primarily a special teams performer, he did see a bit of action on defense as well