3 reasons why Omar Speights is perfect teammate for Christian Rozeboom

The LA Rams have struggled at the inside linebacker position in 2024, which is not the least bit surprising. After all, the team traded away past and presumed-present starting inside linebacker Ernest Jones just before the season started. Regardless of whoever was left on the roster, new DC Chris Shula had to scramble under extreme pressure to name his two starters for this season.

He chose the safe and logical route. He named his two most experienced players to start for the team at inside linebacker: ILB Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom. The struggles began because both Reeder and Rozeboom play nearly an identical style at the inside linebacker. Neither player is particularly aggressive at plugging holes and stuffing the run . They each prefer to stay back at a distance of 5-7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, allow the ball carrier to clear his blockers, and tackle the rusher as he breaks free into daylight.

That is fine if one inside linebacker adheres to that strategy. From a safer distance, that linebacker not only becomes the guy who is a free tackler, but he can cover a large area in pass coverage. And Christian Rozeboom does play the pass quite well, as per his Pro Football Focus grade of 65.4. But when paired with Reeder, Rozeboom was trying to complement a teammate whose skills were identical to his own.

Troy Reeder eventually fell to injury and was placed on IR. The team had to promote undrafted rookie inside linebacker Omar Speights, a move that the team was reluctant to take even as Reeder struggled on the field. But quite honestly, Speights has delivered far better than expected, and his PFF Grade of 79.9 overall is simply outstanding. Speights is still a rookie, which means that he is still learning his role.

But Speights is the guy who hits the hole, stuffs the run, sheds blockers, and plays with a fierce physicality that keeps Rozeboom clean and in the clear. As a result, Christian Rozeboom has elevated his game as well. In fact, he is having a career high seaon, with five games remaining on the schedule.

So fans are naturally curious as to how he has improved his performance so dramatically. Let's dive in and see if we can explain his sudden spike in production: