The Los Angeles Rams defense came on strong at the end of the 2024 NFL season but very much remains a work in progress. The defensive front is sound, but the linebackers and secondary units leave much to be desired, especially heading into 2025.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano ranked every team’s “defensive triplets,” which means their top pass rusher, inside linebacker and defensive back. The Rams’ group of Jared Verse, Omar Speights and Kamren Kinchens ranked No. 23 on the list.
“Verse established himself as one of the top edge rushers in the NFL after running away with the Defensive Rookie of the Year award,” Manzano wrote. “The Rams are loaded with pass rushers, but they have a thin group at inside linebacker and cornerback. Perhaps the team’s solid safety rotation can pick up the slack in the back end.”
This aligns pretty closely with the Rams’ biggest remaining needs at inside linebacker and secondary. The linebacker corps is young (Speights and 2025 fifth-round rookie Chris Paul Jr.) or unproductive (Troy Reeder and Nate Landman), while the secondary is relatively mediocre overall.
There is a lot of room for improvement among both units, but neither are among the best in the NFL could be to the team’s detriment if they can’t get better in 2025.