LA Rams still have 8 crazy options to shore up defense

Under the radar

One of the players under everyone’s radar it seems right now is former New England Patriots ILB/OLB Kyle Van Noy, and I’m not sure why? He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 250-pounds. He is extremely versatile and can play at practically any linebacker position in the NFL. And he has just nine NFL seasons under his belt.

But most of all, he delivers at all of the various nuances for the role at outside linebacker and does a pretty good job of it all. If you check out the Pro Football Focus 2021 grade summary in the Tweet below, you will note that pass rush is his least optimal attribute. But then again, didn’t they say the same thing about Dante Fowler Jr., Leonard Floyd, and even whispered it about Von Miller before they joined the LA Rams defense?

He is not a headliner, but the LA Rams have proven that headlines come after that player signs with the team. And it’s that steady dependable production before joining this defense that is an excellent foundation that leads to headlining NFL newsreels after coming aboard.

Perhaps some of the lukewarm sense about Van Noy is the fact that he has only been a 16 game starter once in his career, and that was at middle linebacker for the Patriots in their 4-3 defensive configuration. That was also in 2018, the year when the LA Rams lost SB LIII to the Patriots, and Van Noy was a huge part of the reason why. Will he deliver everything that Von Miller did for the Rams? Probably not. But then again, he won’t cost the team $200 million either.