3 free agents that the Rams need to circle back to after NFL Draft

I: LB Shaquille Leonard

The versatility factor of veteran linebacker Shaquille Leonard alone should place his agent on speed dial for the LA Rams front office. The presence of a top-notch performer who can slide into either a rotational or starting role any of the team's four linebacker roles in something that would give the maiden voyage of new DC Chris Shula a swiss army knife tool for the 2024 season.

While the majority of Leonard's career has been as the alpha-male of his defense, perhaps it's time for him to use his wisdom and experience to leverage a role as the partner to ILB Ernext Jones. Leonard stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 230 pounds, and has plenty of starting experience to earmark him as a great depth role in this defense.

Leonard is a four-time All-Pro when he played for the Indianapolis Colts. but is fighting an injury history to reclaim that elite form. He was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles roster after his release from the Colts, a role where he was adequate but clearly not in his prime productive form.

With the Rams, he has the dual advantage of coming aboard in time for training camp and learning the playbook, his teammates, and his coaching staff with plenty of time to adapt before ending up out on the football field. The second advantage is that beyond Ernest Jones, the training camp competition is not stiff enough to keep him off the football field.

Could Leonard and Jones coexist? Well, the team did pair Jones up with Bobby Wagner in the past. But for this chapter, Leonard would need to accept the fact that his is Ernest Jones' team, and that he is the other guy on this defense. If he is comfortable in that scenario, he could prove to be a key addition to an NFL Championship Team roster.