Omar Speights should be on high alert before Rams training camp even starts

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights can take nothing for granted this season. Despite holding down the fort in his first two seasons, given his issues in pass coverage, it's safe to say that his job will be up for grabs in training camp. Speights will have to prove he deserves to keep it.

To do so, the former undrafted free agent will have to fend off some energetic young talent behind him on the depth chart, in the form of fellow UDFAs Shaun Dolac and Nickhai Hill-Green. Special teams stud Grant Stuard, signed away from the Lions in free agency, could also compete for reps.

After Speights' 26 starts in two NFL seasons, it might seem unfair to question his job security. Well, the NFL isn't fair to begin with. Nothing is given, only earned, and Dolac and Hill-Green have enough promise to challenge the veteran's place on the totem pole.

Speights has nothing guaranteed entering 2026 Rams season 

Like Stuard, Dolac was mostly a special teams weapon last season. Hill-Green is a rookie. Speights should still be favored to win the starting job out of camp. Whether he keeps it is another story.

The Rams can't afford to keep Speights on the field if he's going to get bitten as often as he has been in pass coverage. His struggles in that department are why the LB2 competition should be a vigorous affair this summer. 

Hill-Green, in particular, has gained traction among Rams fans as a potential contributor. The Alabama product has a high motor, a strong work ethic, and more athleticism than you might think. The kicker is that he is elite in coverage. Among qualified inside linebackers last season, he finished second in all of college football with a 55 percent completion rate allowed, per Pro Football Focus. 

Dolac is likely to remain primarily a force on special teams. It's worth noting, though, that the Rams experimented with Troy Reeder in a combo role, varying his reps across special teams and the defense from year to year. Dolac is a touch quicker than Speights, which could help him keep up with pass-catchers.

While he saw only 42 defensive snaps as a Rams rookie, his prolific college career at Buffalo turned the head of many a scout. As a senior, Dolac earned a consensus All-American selection while leading the conference in total tackles (168), tackles for loss (18.5), and interceptions. His 177 interception return yards led the FBS. Coming from a MAC program it still wasn't enough to get him drafted, but if nothing else, Dolac is an athlete to be reckoned with. 

Speights is not enough of a playmaker to get a free pass for his shortcomings. In his career, he has no sacks, no forced fumbles or takeaways, and two tackles for loss. While Nate Landman, the Rams' top inside 'backer, is no All-Pro himself, he supplemented his steady-Eddie production last season by forcing five turnovers, recording 2.5 sacks, and making eight tackles for loss. He also registered six pass breakups to Speights' one. 

All that is to say that Speights had better enter the season with a chip on his shoulder and a fire lit beneath him. The youngsters are already nipping at his heels.

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