Rams' offseason overhaul has thrust one weakness into even brighter spotlight

The Los Angeles Rams made no shortage of headlines this offseason, pulling off the two biggest blockbusters of the cycle for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett, signing Jaylen Watson, and quietly extending Kam Curl plus Quentin Lake, in late January. 

They didn't do much to overhaul the offense, because they didn't have to. Not without controversy, the Horns did, however, secure a future franchise quarterback in Ty Simpson. They snagged one of the steals of the draft in third-round offensive lineman Keagen Trost. And sixth-round receiver CJ Daniels has every chance to make a real impact. 

Inside linebacker was one position group general manager Les Snead did little to address. Nate Landman is more than solid, but he doesn't have much help. Omar Speights slots in as the second projected starter. Rams fans know all too well how his struggles in coverage bit the team last season. 

The lavish renovations L.A. made elsewhere on the defense only serve to highlight how vulnerable the Rams remain at linebacker, one of the few weak spots left on the roster.

Rams still have questions at off-ball linebacker

One of the more intriguing moves the Rams did make at the position was signing undrafted free agent Nikhai Hill-Green, whose athleticism and drive make him a candidate to steal someone's job in training camp. They also signed Grant Stuard away from Detroit, but he is mainly a special teams weapon. Shaun Dolac, another special teams cog, could see a larger defensive role this season.

While Hill-Green and Dolac are legitimately intriguing options, the fact that Rams fans must cite a UDFA and fringe backup - Dolac played 42 defensive snaps last year - as beacons of hope is, well, concerning. Speights, a former UDFA himself, has started 26 games in two seasons, but that's more about necessity than Speights being a starting-caliber player. 

He is, to be clear, a fine rotational piece. Asking him to log nearly 700 snaps, like the Rams did in 2025, is a bit much. And while Landman is just fine, he isn't 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner, a dominant force who can compensate for a swath of shortcomings around him. 

There is only so much Snead could do. He only had so much Monopoly money to play with. And he invested it where the Rams needed it most - in the secondary - and in securing perhaps the best defender of the generation, Garrett, on a long-term deal. 

The Rams could have looked to the draft for linebacker help, but then, Hill-Green might be as good as any third-round or Day 3 rookie they could have gotten. They could have gone out and signed someone like Tremaine Edmunds, released by the Bears early this offseason. But Edmunds is coming off a so-so year and cost the Giants $36 million in free agency, the value of Curl's extension.

The Horns chose to invest elsewhere, and the fact that they did so to such an impressive degree ironically makes the roster's linebacker concerns that much more glaring. 

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