5 mesmerizing red-hot position battles for the Rams in 2024

I: ILB starter with Ernest Jones

The LA Rams love what starting inside linebacker Ernest Jones brings to the football field and to this defense. He is an enforcer, a sure-handed tackler that anticipates where the ball carrier will appear and makes it a point to get there first and put the smack-down on him. And Ernest Jones has been incredibly successful in growing into his role as defensive leader for the Rams.

So why can't the team find an ideal partner for him in this defense to start at the other inside linebacker position?

Let's break down the players who tried to start alongside Jones in 2023:

Keep in mind that Ernest Jones was injured in Week 9, and Troy Reeder started in his place. But as you can see from the data table above, the Rams did not get a great deal of production from linebackers not named Jones. The most promising of the bunch is Christian Rozeboom, who leveraged just five starts to put up 79 tackles and broke up four pass plays.

After him, the Rams defense seemed to struggle.

The Rams did sign two new rookies to the roster. They are former LSU rookie ILB Omar Speights, and former Marshall rookie ILB Elias Neal. While neither player will have an easy time of earning a roster spot, they both have the advantage of an uncertain upside. The Rams know where the ceiling starts for Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, and Jake Hummel. They do not know where that ceiling sta

Neal has a resume of high productivity, while Speights has the resume that touts superior competition in the SEC. Can either player pry a roster spot away from returning veterans? In the end, isn't that the thrill of training camp, after all?

OTAs signal the start of competition once more, and the Rams are loaded with competition this season. Who will earn a spot on the team's roster? Who will win playing time? That is what we are all about to find out.

As always, thank you for reading.