Rams Troy Reeder reunites with DC Staley with LA Chargers

The LA Rams did not re-sign inside linebacker Troy Reeder. Instead, the team signed veteran FA inside linebacker Bobby Wagner. While that meant a positive turn for the LA Rams roster, it was a severe blow to the NFL career of a young linebacker who had fought and scraped his way from the ranks of the undrafted to playing significant time leading up to and during Super Bowl LVI.

Reeder, an inside linebacker who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 245-pounds, has more than enough size and strength to play a very versatile role on an NFL defense. He simply has not demonstrated the instincts or ability to diagnose what the offense is running to be in the right place at the right time to make the play.

In 2020, then defensive coordinator Brandon Staley made it a bit easier for Reeder.  When Reeder was forced into an impromptu start in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders, Staley sent Reeder after the quarterback in a series of blitzes that caught Washington completely by surprise. Reeder ended up recording three quarterback sacks on that one afternoon, more than he would accumulate for the rest of his three NFL seasons.

Reeder reunites with Staley

Now, he will have the opportunity to reunite with his former defensive coordinator by signing a one-year deal with the LA Chargers.

Reeder will join former Rams nose tackle Sebastian Joseph Day in signing on with the Chargers defense.

We had speculated over the possibility of the Rams crosstraining Troy Reeder to fill both an inside and outside linebacker role going forward. That idea was prompted by the success that Staley had in crosstraining Justin Hollins, a 6-foot-5 248-pound outside linebacker, to learn how to successfully play an inside linebacker role.

Reeder may not excite Rams fans. But I’m not of the opinion that he is not worth a shot at extending his NFL career. The young man has just three NFL seasons under his belt, and his size and ability to play so far give plenty of reason to believe that the Chargers have added a solid player.

Staley knows how to put Reeder into the right situation to succeed. There is no reason to expect less from him in 2022.