LA Rams Mission Impossible: Replace an NFL legend on the fly. Here are some options:

Option II: Move Michael Hoecht back to the defensive line

Of course, necessity is the mother of invention, right? So in the face of needing to create greater pass rush from the Rams interior defensive line, the team can kill two birds with one stone. What I am referring to is the need to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, combined with the need to get outside linebacker Michael Hoecht out of the business of covering receivers.

If the Rams move Hoecht back to his original position on the defensive line, that could address both problems simultaneously.

Of course, this is no more than making the best of a bad situation. But it does have some merits. For starters, moving Hoecht to the defensive line does give the team a bit more wiggle room in terms of setting rotations and filling the depth chart. It may very well be that the last-minute Qualifying Tender Offer had that very thing in mind. In any case, Hoecht is a low-cost player whose versatility does allow the defense to play him at either outside linebacker or as a down lineman.

But that also affords the team enough flexibility to address the void in the 2024 NFL Draft. If an elite pass rusher falls to the Rams, Hoecht can return to the defensive line. If an elite defensive lineman falls to the Rams, Hoecht can remain as an outside linebacker and contribute in a rotational role.