LA Rams Ogbonnia Okoronkwo signing with Texans creates OLB need

Well, the heat is on. The heat is on, oh yeah. At least, that is surely the tune that should be playing right now in the LA Rams personnel office sound system. The LA Rams need to ramp up the bidding for OLB Von Miller, or an acceptable alternative, pretty quickly. Not surprisingly, news of another outside linebacker from the Rams roster is just surfacing, and it reduces the LA Rams option for a fallback position at edge rusher.

Outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was quietly making a name for himself in the LA Rams defense, particularly in the playoffs. While he never rose to a point of starting for the team, do not overlook his undervalued rotational role on the defense. He was an integral component of the pass rush.

Edge rushers never go out of style in the NFL. That was evident when the San Francisco 49ers scooped up Rams OLB Samson Ebukam in 2021 early in the process. Obo was a more polished player, so the expectation was that he would fetch a better deal in 2022. Reports are that he will sign with the Houston Texans. For how much? Those details are not yet available.

So why is this development turning up the heat on the LA Rams front office?

Plan B to sign Obo now scrapped

Simply stated, the LA Rams had multiple options available to resolve their need to bolster their outside linebacker position this off-season. Of course, the primary option that everyone is hoping for is to extend All-Pro veteran Von Miller. But that news has been slow in coming, which is a bit nerve-racking at a minimum.

A solid fallback option for the team if extending Miller fails would have been to re-sign Okoronkwo and use a combination of OLB Justin Hollins, Terrell Lewis, Obo, and Chris Garrett to play opposite veteran OLB Leonard Floyd. Of course, the team has a deep rookie class at the position to add developmental talent to the roster, perhaps someone who could earn playing time.

A third option would be to pivot to a secondary veteran free agent. Many have been released, which would not impact the Rams’ potentially awarded 2023 compensatory picks. Players like Dante Fowler Jr. or Kyle Van Noy come to mind, but the market has a few others who could make a relatively instant impact on this defense.

Obo is a solid signing

While the terms of his new deal are not yet known, the Texans have chosen wisely to add Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to their defense. The 6-foot-1, 253-pound edge rusher has a nasty-quick twitch that suddenly shows up, launching him at the quarterback before the tackle can react. He is a steady-Freddie producer, getting at least one quarterback sack in each season of playing on the Rams defense.

He also has been a contributor on special teams, a role that will no doubt come in handy as he competes for playing time with the Texans. While he is not a juggernaut off the edge, he rarely misses bringing down the ball-carrier. In fact, he has only four missed tackles in the three years of his young NFL career.

There is always a risk when adding a defensive player from the LA Rams roster. Namely, they will no longer benefit from lining up next to or playing on the same line of scrimmage as, All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Still, Obo (yeah, that’s his nickname. Fingers get sore typing out his full name) is young enough and has shown marked progress so far. He is not ‘there’ yet, but after experiencing playing in a Super Bowl, everything should slow down considerably for him.

The LA Rams are now to a point where three players have been extended, and three players have signed on elsewhere. But the team has so much to do that it feels as though things are just starting.

And they are still very active at doing them. Stay tuned…