What should fans know about the latest Rams addition to the roster?

The LA Rams have made a subtle if not telling move by adding a veteran inside linebacker to the practice squad. Just days after the team sent starting ILB Troy Reeder, the front office machinery has sprung to life once more. Curiously, the team acted just one day after undrafted rookie Omar Speights debuted for the team in his first NFL game.

So who did the team sign?

The team signed former Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Tony Fields. Field was released after suffering an ankle injury on September 11, 2024. Ironically, his release did not occur until October 22, 2024. By October 25, 2024, he was trying out for the Baltimore Ravens. Three days later, he signed with the LA Rams.

Tony Fields is a 6-foot-0 222-pound inside linebacker who brings a bit of everything and a mastery of few things. He had played 526 defensive snaps with the Browns, appearing in 45 games, and starting in just 10 contests. He has one interception, one tackle for a loss, 88 tackles, and he broke up one pass, forced one fumble, and recovered two fumbles. He is a sure-handed tackler, and he did turn one fumble recovery and his lone interception into defensive touchdowns.

While a minor move to place a veteran on the practice squad is hardly an indication of a change of philosophy or strategy, the Rams are far too savvy and seasoned of an organization to blindly throw darts at a dartboard in the hopes that some might stick. In truth, the team measures twice and cuts once when it comes to custom-fitting players to the roster. While it does not always yield positive results, when the team does find a diamond in the rough, the results can be quite promising.

So what does the addition of Fields say about the state of the Rams defense?

III: Rams are not clear about the upside of Omar Speights

Despite his promising debut, it's clear that the Rams football team is hedging their bets on undrafted rookie Omar Speights. While it's an understandable reaction, the swiftness of front office action to fill in the void of Troy Reeder's absence is very curious indeed. After all, the team has carried a surplus of five inside linebackers on the roster for weeks.

Only recently did the team release undrafted inside linebacker Elias Neal, signing him to the team's practice squad after he cleared waivers. So long before the team signed Fields, this team had plenty of depth at the inside linebacker position to draw upon. And the front office is not always so eager to take action. After the team lost both DB Derion Kendrick and DN Darious Williams, the team still hesitated to sign last year's starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

Fantastic move. Horrific timing.

So what prompted the team to act so quickly on this occasion? The first clue lies in the fact that the team hesitated to offer any defensive snaps to Omar Speights prior to Week 8, despite the clear and obvious struggles of pairing Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder side by side. The problem is that both Reeder and Rozeboom are far better suited playing prevent defense. They remain back, letting the action come to them.

Speights is one tough son-of-a-gun who initiates contact, eats roofing nails for breakfast, and spits fire. He is ideally suited top pair up with a prevent-defense teammate. And the results of Week 8 clearly indicate that he knows how to stuff runs. Tony Fields arrives to round out the defense on the pass defense side of the equation.

II: Troy Reeder injury may sideline him for the season

But why not just roll the dice on Reeder, hoping for him to heal up and be back in time to return this season? Well, the truth of the matter is that there are mounting reasons why Reeder's appearance on the Rams IR roster could prove to be problematic to a quick return.

The first reason for concern is the injury itself. Hamstring injuries are the bane of NFL professional athletes. That's due to the fact that the injury centers on a significantly used part of the human anatomy. The human thigh is a complex structure of muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and other tissues that are tasked with supporting and ambulating the human frame. So a hamstring injury impacts the very part of the body that is responsible for standing, walking, running, and stopping.

So even when the injured site feels like it's better, it sometimes is just one twist or turn from reinjury. If you doubt me, just examine the injury experience of defensive back Darious Williams so far this season.

The second reason is the timing of the injury. With an injury occurring at this point in the season, there is always a risk of running out of time to bring that player back. Let's face it, Troy Reeder was not having a Pro Bowl season before his injury. So his return has to project as his returning no better than when he left, which was already mired in a bit of a struggle. Does it make sense to impose more Rams roster upheaval just to put things back the way they were? I loved how this defense performed in Week 8. If that level of defense continues, there is no incentive to change things.

The third reason is the fault of the NFL mechanics to IR. The LA Rams have activated the following players from IR this season so far:

• WR Puka Nacua
• DB Darious Williams
• DT Larrell Murchison (he was immediately injured and returned to IR)

NFL teams have just eight restoration slots from IR back to the active roster. The Rams have exhausted three such transactions already, and the team is still looking to bring back IOL Steve Avila, IOL Jonah Jackson, DB John Johnson III, OL Joe Noteboom, OL K.T. Leveston, OL Conor McDermott, TE Tyler Higbee, and now ILB Troy Reeder. That's eight players vying over five remaining slots. At least three of the players on IR right now are out for the 2024 NFL season

While Reeder may return, the team has to plan for any scenario.

I: Fields is a 'just in case' guy

The LA Rams opened the season flirting with the precipice of disaster. Losing the two top receivers, losing two key defensive backs, and losing a handful of offensive linemen, was certainly not the way this team hoped to open the season. Even as the team fell to a record of 1-4, the proof of the roster depth continued to shine through.

So is Tony Fields just one more addition to the better-than-the-brochure bunch? He has a solid background of NFL production. While not the type of player whose resume screams 'start me now,' he does offer enough well-rounded experience so as to give the team an option on game day for a contributor to special teams or a rotational player on defense.

With the team's injury history in 2024, Tony Fields brings some level of competency off the bench for whatever the situation calls for. Even on the practice squad, he can offer insights into a number of teams who remain on the schedule. So Fields brings a bit of espionage-related behind enemy lines intel with him.

Best of all, he is closely aligned with the size and style of current Rams veteran inside linebacker, Jake Hummel. Hummel stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 229 pounds. Field stands 6-foot-0 and weighs 222 pounds. So the team has a 'template' player profile to compare Fields to instantly. But Fields brings a bit of insurance to the team as well as intel. After all the guy appeared in 45 games and started 10 games, so he is not without some merits. For comparison and contrast, injured Troy Reeder appeared in 89 games and started 37 of them.

Ultimately, an NFL roster is optimally constructed when the team invests in the right depth at the right positions to endure the 17-game NFL season. Fields may not be a long-term solution for this team. But he makes an ideal emergency 'donut,' to get this team safely to the next stop.

As always, thanks for reading.

More Rams news and analysis