5 Rams who are locking up versatile roles after preseason Week 2

(5) - ILB Omar Speights

When Rams undrafted rookie ILB Omar Speights opened preseason Game 2 with a bone-jarring tackle to Los Angeles Chargers kick returner Jaelen Gill, I knew that he was going to have a great game. And he did. Speights led all tacklers in this game, racking up eight tackles, seven of those were solo tackles, and two tackles were for a loss.

In Game 1 of the Rams preseason, he had four tackles, two solo tackles, and one tackle for a loss. So his stock is rising rapidly.

I like Speights anchoring the heart of this defense. Unlike the other inside linebackers on this roster not names Ernest Jones IV, I have complete confidence that Speights will be in the right position to make the play, will tackle like a ton of bricks, will make the right reads on offense, and has the ability to make the stop and force a turnover on downs.

And so far, that is how this swarming and aggressive defense has played.

Speights is not a guy just playing for a paycheck. He is not out there for the spotlight. Omar Speights truly love to make tackles, and it's that passion for play-making that has elevated his game. He is an emotional force, a passionate presence that infects his teammates with a need to bring their A game on every snap of the football.

In two preseason games, and eight regulation quarters of football, the LA Rams defense has not allowed a single touchdown to be scored. In fact, this team has only allowed seven field goals, or 21 points, to be scored on them so far. You can thank many players for that. But be sure to thank Omar Speights too.