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Rams camp battle preview: Who emerges at ILB?
The Los Angeles Rams are just a few weeks away from the expected start of training camp, which means position battles will be heating up, too. This is a roster that features a lot of uncertainty at…
theramswire.usatoday.com
The Los Angeles Rams are just a few weeks away from the expected start of training camp, which means position battles will be heating up, too. This is a roster that features a lot of uncertainty at several positions, including inside linebacker after the departure of Cory Littleton.
It’s one of the weakest groups on the roster, and one of the least proven in the NFL. But there is some upside with players such as Micah Kiser, Travin Howard and Kenny Young.
Let’s dive into this position battle ahead of training camp and lay out the candidates to start.
The favorite: Micah Kiser
Kiser was in line to start next to Cory Littleton last year before he suffered a pectoral injury in the preseason, which landed him on season-ending IR. Now, he’s fully recovered and ready to compete for a starting spot again, and he’s pretty clearly the favorite to replace Littleton as the Rams’ primary inside linebacker.
While he has yet to play a single defensive snap in the regular season, he looked good in the preseason and was a reliable tackler in college at Virginia. He’s someone Les Snead said he’d buy stock in, too, which is a nice vote of confidence.
The contenders: Travin Howard, Kenny Young, Troy Reeder
Howard is a former college safety who now plays linebacker, possessing good speed, range and athleticism in the middle of the defense. While he did have a few lapses in coverage late last season, he also broke up a few passes and prevented a touchdown against the Seahawks.
Young was a starter for the Ravens before being benched and eventually traded last year, returning to Southern California where he played his college ball (UCLA). The Rams are intrigued by his talent, but not enough to give him any defensive snaps last season. He’s athletic enough to play sideline to sideline and cover tight ends, but he missed 13.6% of his tackle attempts in 2018 and doesn’t pop off the screen.
Reeder filled in when Bryce Hager got hurt last season, starting eight games for the Rams. He was a liability in coverage – he allowed 16 completions on 17 attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns – and missed 13.4% of his tackle attempts. So he was neither good against the run nor the pass. Though plenty big and physical, Reeder needs to improve his instincts and tackling.
The longshots: Clay Johnston, Daniel Bituli, Christian Rozeboom
All rookies, these three players will all need to fight just to make the 53-man roster. Johnston is the likeliest to make it as a seventh-round pick, but it’ll take a huge training camp and preseason (if it happens) in order for him to be named a starter. His work ethic and intensity will make him a fan favorite and will catch the eyes of coaches, but he has to prove himself on the field, too.
Bituli and Rozeboom both went undrafted, which makes them extreme longshots to become starters as rookies. Bituli is more of a thumper at 6-foot-4, 246 pounds with 4.84 speed, but there’s still a role for that type of linebacker on first and second down in today’s NFL.
Rozeboom doesn’t have great speed, either, but he was a tackling machine at South Dakota State and could make the team as a special teams player and reserve linebacker.
Prediction: Kiser and Howard start
Ultimately, Kiser and Howard give the Rams a nice combination of range, tackling and coverage ability. Kiser would play on the strong side with Howard free to run on the weak side, getting help from his defensive linemen. It would probably be the least proven linebacker tandem in the NFL, but also one with some upside thanks to their athleticism.
The Rams have options at linebacker, but none have a proven track record or will instill much confidence. But if one player or another falters, there will be someone there to step up if given the opportunity to do so – even if it’s in a somewhat limited role.
