Do Rams see linebacker as a need in 2026 draft?
· Yahoo Sports
It seems as if we are having the same conversations nearly every offseason when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams and the linebacker position. Every offseason, the fan base is desperate for an upgrade and then almost every offseason, the Rams do the bare minimum.
Since Sean McVay arrived in 2017, this is simply a team that hasn’t always placed value at linebacker, especially in the draft. They haven’t spent a single top-100 pick at linebacker and players such as Cory Littleton, Christian Rozeboom, and Troy Reeder were undrafted free agents. Kenny Young was a throw-in piece when the team traded away Marcus Peters. Bobby Wagner was a special case in which the player wanted to come and play for his home city.
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The Rams initially signed Nate Landman on a one-year deal worth $1.1 million. They went away from the norm by signing him to an extension, but that was likely never in the plans. It was done more so to keep a defense together as the team neared its championship window. The offseason before that, they traded Ernest Jones and replaced him with an undrafted free agent in Omar Speights. Last summer, the Rams cut their fifth-round pick at linebacker in Chris Paul Jr., who was considered a draft steal, in favor of an undrafted free agent.
Now, here we are heading into the 2026 offseason and once again, fans are calling for an upgrade at linebacker. This isn’t to say that the fans are wrong. Speights has likely hit his ceiling and Landman’s limitations began to show towards the end of the year. It would be nice if the Rams at least brought in some competition for Speights and someone who could better complement Landman in coverage.
However, what I or fans think the team should do could be very different than how the Rams view the situation at linebacker. It’s very possible that the Rams don’t see an imminent need at linebacker, especially when it comes to adding a rookie.
Going back to 2017, the Rams have kept five linebackers on the roster going into the season twice. That came in 2018 and 2024. In every other season, the Rams have kept four and in 2020 and 2023, they kept just three. This is a team that has typically gone light at the position.
Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Rams already have at least three linebackers essentially guaranteed to make the roster. Landman isn’t going anywhere until the end of 2027 after just signing an extension. The Rams just signed Grant Stuard to be an impactful special teams player. While the Rams could use an upgrade over Speights, the team seems to like him and a rookie drafted outside of the top-100 likely isn’t pushing a two-year starter. That leaves Shaun Dolac who both the Rams and fan base both seem to like.
Are the Rams keeping five linebackers next year with limited roster spots? Again, this is a team that has typically kept it lighter at the position and cut their fifth-round pick at linebacker last season to keep just four linebackers. If the Rams were to draft a linebacker, who is the odd-man out?
This isn’t to say that the Rams don’t need an upgrade over Speights. He took a step back last year, doubling his missed tackle rate. Speights was much less consistent than he was as a rookie. Still, he’s a two-year starter in the defense. While Dolac shows promise, it’s also important to be realistic about his upside. Dolac, nor a rookie, is pushing Speights off the roster. If the Rams do draft a rookie, is it worth potentially having to cut a solid depth player in Dolac who played well in limited action?
Given how the Rams have typically valued and handled the position combined with the roster math, drafting a linebacker doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Looking at this strictly from the front office’s perspective, it looks to be more likely that they are content with who they have and don’t see an imminent need. They could always sign an undrafted free agent at the position to compete with Elias Neal for a spot on the practice squad. However, as far as addressing linebacker earlier in the draft, the front office may not see it.