Who will step up to replace ILB Troy Reeder on Thursday Night Football?

Well, nobody should celebrate a player's injury. But I expect more than one LA Rams fan is willing to break that protocol. as an injury has forced the team to rule starting ILB Troy Reeder out for Week 8. But to clear room for WR Puka Nacu to return to the 53-man active Rams roster, the team took it one step further and has placed Troy Reeder on IR.

That move guarantees that Reeder much sit out the next four games. And that mean that the earliest he will return is Week 12.

As the team welcomes back Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, even in limited roles, the defense must now compensate for the absence of Reeder. When the defense faced Reeder's injury in Week 7, the team responded by a five-man defensive front, and six defensive backs.

That could be an option, as the team did not surrender a single touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. But that was all captured on film, allowing the Vikings offensive coaches to see, analyze, and counter that defensive formation. So the defense needs to prepare alternate strategies.

Will the team go with ILB Jake Hummel? Conventional wisdom would say yes, as the team and particularly DC Chris Shula is more familiar with the play and performance of Hummel in this defense. And Hummel was the first player at the inside linebacker position to play in preseason who was shut down as having earned a role on the team.

But another option is rookie ILB Omar Speights, a standout defender in the preseason who seemed to showcase all of the vital attributes to succeed and an NFL starter. He is a fearless competitor, easily diagnosing plays and rushing to initiate the tackle. His ability to stuff the run is amplified by his physical style of play, and the uncanny ease by which he sheds blockers.

Speights plays like a guy whose wife just left him for his best friend, and took his favorite classic car in their escape together. It's that 'mad at the world' personna that makes him such a fan favorite, as though he just turned into the Incredible Hulk, and is looking to smash something.

Whoever gets the nod for the team, don't expect perfection. They will be getting their first start, and the pressure to perform is incredible. But I suspect that whoever it is, there will be at least one or two highlight plays in the works. After all, the Rams defense could certainly benefit from a sure-tackling run stuffer.

As always, thanks for reading.

More Rams news, Rams rumors, and analysis