Les Snead makes yet another signing straight from the Lions clearance section

There were two distinct trouble spots for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025. And fans prayed that general manager Les Snead would pull out all the stops to fix them for the new year. One was the secondary. And it's safe to say that the combination of Kansas City Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson would go a long way to achieving that goal.

But the second area of upgrading the Rams roster is special teams, and the task is not easy to resolve. But Snead has a way of turning over rocks to find the right players. He appears to have hit the mark. He has signed a special-teams specialist to the roster, former Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard, to a two-year deal worth up to $5.05 million.

Stuard may not be the coverage linebacker some hoped for to pair with run-stopper Nate Landman, but he is an elite special teams contributor. So far, Snead has extended kicker Harrison Mevis, signed veteran long snapper Joe Cardona (who can tackle as well), and now special teamer Grant Stuart.

Looks like Les has heard the fans' pleas.

Grant Stuard may be more valuable than meets the eye

Nobody is going to accuse linebacker Grant Stuard of being a Pro Bowl candidate. But what he does do is cover at an elite level. That's exactly what this team needs, as coverage on both kickoffs and punts has been horribly ineffective in recent years.

Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Round 7 of the 2021 NFL Draft, Stuard has been a bit of a migrant worker in the NFL. Los Angeles will be his fourth city in six seasons. He has played for Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, and Detroit before signing to play in the Horns.

Although his forte is covering punts and kickoffs, he has had some starting experience at linebacker while playing for the Colts. In five starts, he racked up 40 tackles and two tackles for a loss. When dropping back in coverage, he's allowed 15 of 19 passes to find their mark. While he has yet to record an interception or even to deflect a pass, he has not allowed a touchdown pass.

And SideLion site expert Candace Pedraza shared this insight about the latest LA free agent:

"He is a hard worker, very strong tackler, and brings a ton of energy on special teams! He was really good in preseason on defense, as well."

Lions expert, Candace Pedraza

He did return three kickoffs for the Lions last season, averaging 24.0 yards per return.

While he likely won't start, he is one more weapon for a special teams unit that was sorely lacking last year. But don't discount his contribution. If he can tackle in coverage, he will elevate the entire team.

As always, thanks for reading.