Rams need whatever OLB Terrell Lewis can deliver this year

LA Rams need whatever OLB Terrell Lewis can deliver this year

In LA Rams News: This Rams defense needs some players to step up this year. So, the team will need everything Terrell Lewis can deliver.

ramblinfan.com

Rams need whatever OLB Terrell Lewis can deliver this year​

When the LA Rams chose Alabama outside linebacker Terrell Lews with the 84th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, they were taking a pretty risky gamble that the medical flags that scared other teams off were too conservative. What can I say? I, like many of the fans of the LA Rams, loved the pick. If healthy, he had a first-round grade. If unhealthy, he was a deep risk with just a part-time NFL future. I believed he could pull it all together. When he’s healthy, he can certainly be a dominating force to be reckoned with.

In his rookie NFL season, the Rams played 18 games, but the lofty-ceiling edge rusher suited up for just nine of those games. He was on the field for just 124 defensive snaps or just over 12 percent of the defensive workload. Even with that light work, he managed to record five tackles and two quarterback sacks. In fact, he flashed some promise by getting to the quarterback often enough, even as a rookie. He recorded two quarterback knockdowns and pressured the quarterback four times.

Durability. It’s the single most important quality of any NFL player. Well, durability and availability. That is so true when it comes to Lewis.

Take whatever Lewis can give

The LA Rams lost some veterans who were significant contributors to putting pressure and sacks on the quarterback in 2020. Gone are DL Michael Brockers, DE Morgan Fox, and OLB Samson Ebukam. They accounted for 15.5 quarterback sacks, and 109 tackles. Someone has to step up for the team in 2021. Terrell Lewis could be that someone.

And before it appears as though I am singling out one defensive player, outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was a reserve who only deliver 10 games to the Rams defense in 2020. So it’s not on Lewis. But to be truthful, I would like nothing better than witnessing 17 games out of Terrell Lewis for the 2021 NFL season. I think if he can stay healthy, he will be something special. But staying healthy? That’s where it gets a bit dicey.

Keep in mind that Lewis ended the 2020 season with an ankle injury. So the positive takeaway is that it was not an old knew injury flaring up again.

Rams banking on returning players to step up

The team didn’t exactly pile on the talent at the edge position in this offseason. The roster was boosted by two rookies: Chris Garrett and Max Roberts. Although there is reason enough for optimism regarding the two rookie additions, the team is in a bit of a pinch over who will start the season opposite Leonard Floyd.

If Terrell Lewis is healthy enough to do so, that gives this defense a completely different look than if he is not on the field. What will Lewis deliver in terms of defensive snaps in 2021? Whatever the number, the Rams will need all of it. Lewis has the potential to change the course of the Rams defense, and in doing so, the course of the Rams team, if he plays to his full potential in 2021.

But whatever he can muster, the Rams will take it.

 

[So Ram]

T. Lewis is just starting his career.I think OBo has been the disappointing player.If you go back to say The Bears game where Lewis made a big play.
Holland’s & Rivers we’re the 2 Rams players taking a lot of the Reps.The Rams will find an Edge Rusher.
Let’s see what Henderson & Raheem Morris have up there sleeve.
I saw a practice & both OBo & Lewis were M.I.A. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going happen.Lewis has always had some kind of injury since his NCAA days. I believe in Reggie Scott as a trainer.He will give him the tools to get healthy.

 

[Psycho_X]

Lewis not even participating in OTAs has tempered my expectations for the guy a lot. Hopefully the Rams are just being overly careful with him and he'll be full participant in training camp. But not even being able to participate in shorts with no contact doesn't instill me with confidence.

 

[snackdaddy]

I won't get too excited about him until he can show he's healthy enough to make a contribution. I hope the Rams were just being careful with him in his rookie year. A player with those injury problems missing half the games would seem to be a concern. He's further removed from his last surgery going into this season. Maybe he's healed some more. But they do need production from other guys opposite Floyd. I'm looking at Hollins being that guy.

 

[Merlin]

My hopes for ROLB are that Obo plays well and Garrett shows he belongs by helping in the rotation. Lewis is a pipe dream not gonna get hopes up there.

 

[Giles]

I honestly wouldn't mind if he gets cut especially if he's not healthy through training camp. A player who cant contribute is a useless player as harsh as that sounds.

 

[AvengerRam]

If he can’t stay healthy, there remain some viable short term veteran FA prospects at the edge position.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Is it weird that I'm more excited about Chris Garrett than I am Terrell Lewis?

 

[Reddog99]

I hope Lewis can play because I think he will make an impact but I won't hold my breath at this point sadly.

 

[oldnotdead]

When healthy Lewis has shown he's an impact player. But with Hollins on the roster, I don't have a problem with that position. Also, you have Jonah Williams and Earnest Brown who can play the DE position so it's not like there isn't depth.

Frankly, I don't have much hope that Lewis' knee can hold up over a season much less a career. I think Hollins is a pretty good option. He has good length at 6'5" with 33" arms and speed (4.5) and has shown enough to deserve the start with Lewis in the rotation if he is healthy. He was a 5th round pick of Denver's in 2019. Like Floyd who was never really given a shot, Hollins was simply played him out of position as an ILB. Last year on only 34% of the snaps he had 3 sacks, 2 QBKD, 5 pressures, 3 TFL, 1 FF, 1 PD, and 18 solo tackles with 10 assists. You're looking at a possible 8-9 sack type of player if he's the starter. He's solid at the POA, and he can drop into zone coverage as well as rush the QB. That's about all you can ask for at that position.

I like Lewis but if he can't stay healthy it's next man up and IMO that is Justin Hollins who has played well enough to deserve the start.

 

[Shuie3225]

Hurt in college = hurt in the pros. After all the knee issues last year, T Lewis is again missing valuable reps this offseason due to the same knee issue. The same knee he had surgery on in college. How is he supposed to develop as a player when he's never on the field?

This guy is a lost cause at this point. We cannot count on him to play any snaps at all, if he does it will just be a bonus for us. But we cannot anticipate him playing and making an impact. Complete waste of a 3rd round pick when Snead had all the injury history laid out in front of him. This didn't just come out of nowhere, we had all the medical data and still made this stupid pick. Mistakes you can't afford to make when you're always trading your 1st round picks away.

 

[oldnotdead]

I don't see Lewis' pick having hurt the Rams at all. Brockers and Ebukam were in front of him with Hollins as depth. He was always high risk-high reward. Sometimes you take flyers like that. Havenstein and Blythe have hurt this team to a much higher degree. Mistakes will always happen when drafting.

Personally I don't begrudge trading 1st for Ramsey and Stafford. 1st round picks are just as big of crapshoots as any other pick. More 1st round picks are busts than actually live up to their promise. Snead does more without first round picks than most GMs do with them.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Hurt in college = hurt in the pros. After all the knee issues last year, T Lewis is again missing valuable reps this offseason due to the same knee issue. The same knee he had surgery on in college. How is he supposed to develop as a player when he's never on the field?

This guy is a lost cause at this point. We cannot count on him to play any snaps at all, if he does it will just be a bonus for us. But we cannot anticipate him playing and making an impact. Complete waste of a 3rd round pick when Snead had all the injury history laid out in front of him. This didn't just come out of nowhere, we had all the medical data and still made this stupid pick. Mistakes you can't afford to make when you're always trading your 1st round picks away.

I have noticed that it can work both ways;

You can have a relatively injury free college career and then go through a rash of injuries early in your pro career and vice versa.

This guy's career is not over and he's giving us production per snap.
And that's the key.

It sounds strange but I've never been a big fan of first round draft picks and the whole fantasy football/ fantasy manager/draftnic thing.

Production as a pro per snap is the only real thing I take into consideration

To me, spending a third on somebody with first-round potential is a good gamble.

What if we end up developing Chris Garrett out in a couple years as an edge that we could rotate in or play whenever Lewis is not healthy.

As long as we're getting production out of that edge spot per snap?
I'm good with it.

 

[Memento]

I'm not giving up on Lewis just yet. The guy is seriously talented, and when - not if; when - he plays up to standards in the preseason, he'll earn valuable snaps. Being held out of OTAs isn't as big of a deal as it's made out to be; at least he was there. If he's held out of minicamp, my opinion might change, but like David Long before him, it's far too early to tell what his career will turn out to be.

 

[oldnotdead]

If Lewis continues to be a no go during TC I can see him simply not making the roster or being on IR with an injury settlement at some point. This team can't afford to carry a player that you can't count on week to week. If he can't practice he won't be able to play which is a shame because he has flashed when he's on the field.

Frankly, I think Earnest Brown was drafted with that in mind.

 

[jjab360]

I'm counting on him about as much as I counted on Danario Alexander a while back

 

[den-the-coach]

Frankly, I don't have much hope that Lewis' knee can hold up over a season much less a career. I think Hollins is a pretty good option. He has good length at 6'5" with 33" arms and speed (4.5) and has shown enough to deserve the start with Lewis in the rotation if he is healthy. He was a 5th round pick of Denver's in 2019. Like Floyd who was never really given a shot, Hollins was simply played him out of position as an ILB. Last year on only 34% of the snaps he had 3 sacks, 2 QBKD, 5 pressures, 3 TFL, 1 FF, 1 PD, and 18 solo tackles with 10 assists. You're looking at a possible 8-9 sack type of player if he's the starter. He's solid at the POA, and he can drop into zone coverage as well as rush the QB. That's about all you can ask for at that position.

I like Lewis but if he can't stay healthy it's next man up and IMO that is Justin Hollins who has played well enough to deserve the start.

I agree here and believe they miscast Hollins in Denver at ILB, so hopefully, transitioning back to OLB, Hollins will be a viable option for the Rams. Obo Okoronkwo, might be ready too, although health has been an issue for him too.

Okoronkwo does make plays when he's in the game, so I could see a rotation of Hollins on run downs with Okoronkwo coming in on passing downs. As to Lewis, well, let's see if he can actually get on the field because if he can't, the Rams are going have to make a decision. Justin Lawler is another option nobody is really looking at, he did not look bad his rookie year, but missed the last two years due to injury, so maybe he's ready to contribute.