Rams shouldn't shy away from Shaun Dolac if injured Omar Speights needs time

Despite returning to the game, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights is battling some residual effects from the hip injury he sustained Thursday against the 49ers. Head coach Sean McVay said Speights is "making positive gains" despite swelling, and "feeling better than...anticipated," but it was a less optimistic report than for Speights' banged up teammates. 

That means Shaun Dolac should be back on high alert after replacing Speights during his Week 1 absence. 

Primarily a special-teamer, Dolac gave the Rams solid play in 19 defensive snaps, finishing with six tackles between defense and special teams. While the defense sorely needs its starters healthy, the Rams should be ready to call his number rather than roll with a sub-100-percent Speights. 

Rams' linebacker injuries could make Shaun Dolac a name to watch next week

Speights wasn't the only Rams linebacker injured in the game. Co-starter Nate Landman injured his shoulder and thumb tackling 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. At that point the Rams trailed by 20 with around four minutes left. No reason for Landman to return. If anything, the surprise is that he was still on the field with the game out of reach. 

McVay provided a somewhat more straightforward update on Landman than on Speights, saying he expects to have his team captain available on Monday against the New York Giants.

If Dolac needs to step in, then, it seems more likely he'll do so for Speights. Ideally, the Rams won't need him on defense at all, but Speights is one of the few first-teamers without whom they can more easily make do. 

That needn't be an indictment of Speights; both he and Landman were part of LA's wet-paper effort against the run. For Rams fans, feeling okay about Dolac as a potential replacement is more about seeing what he can bring in an expanded role. 

His Week 1 snap count was nearly half his defensive playing time all last season. While Dolac is already valuable on special teams, the Rams may be able to get more out of him. It's not the ideal scenario, but Speights being sidelined would be an opportunity to find out. 

Especially if Speights is still recovering, it's not a good idea at an already understocked position to go out and risk aggravating the injury. Even if Speights starts, the Rams should be quick to yank him if he looks hindered. 

It sounds like Landman will be fine, but he's worth watching for on the injury report as well. How much of a drop-off would a Speights-Dolac swap entail? Not a big one, and it's likely a wash or even an upgrade if Speights isn't himself. This is the least of the team's worries.

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