LA Rams D may be stronger than 2021’s after signing Bobby Wagner

The heart of the matter

Okay, now let’s talk about what to expect from the insertion of veteran ILB Bobby Wagner into the LA Rams defense for 2022. In a word? Scads. First of all, Wagner will be with the team through OTAs, Training Camp, Preseason, and then into the regular season. While he will likely be rather versed with the team’s defense straight-up, his presence will allow the team to make some small but impactful changes.

I will likely fall out of my chair if Wagner does not end up with the green dot on his helmet, signifying that he will be the defensive play-caller for the 2022 NFL season.  I fear that assigning that task to defensive back Jordan Fuller stunted his play, as he had to diagnose and direct the entire defense on each and every play. With the burden of play-calling off his plate, he can return to being a nemesis to opposing quarterbacks.

Wagner will also be that physical presence who elevates the defense’s ability to get a stop on third and fourth downs. Through November 2021, the LA Rams were the 24th ranked defense in third-down conversions per teamrankings.com. With Wagner on the football field, much like the presence of rookie Ernest Jones in the latter part of last season, that ranking should improve dramatically.

I think it’s about defensive leadership

Over the course of the season, the Rams seemed to improve at run defense, while struggling at pass defense. At times, it appeared to be part of a bend-but-not-break defensive strategy. But in a post-season review, it seems that some defensive players were out of position, miscommunicated, or simply failed to make their plays on the ball when the opportunity presented itself.  I expect that Wagner will help there too.

While there are a lot of dissimilarities between the 2021 and 2022 NFL defenses, I believe that the 2022 NFL defense is starting off from a much stronger basis than the defense of a year ago. Of course, the LA Rams still have the 2022 NFL Draft at the end of April 2022, and then the mad scramble to sign up undrafted rookie free agents after that.  This Rams defense and offense have a solid core, perhaps more solid and robust than ever to start an NFL season.

Will it all translate into a successful defense of their NFL Championship Title? We’re more eager than ever to find out.