{"id":864365,"date":"2026-04-12T00:31:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/864365\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T00:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:31:04","slug":"lions-special-teams-ace-mr-irrelevant-signs-with-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/864365\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions’ Special Teams Ace ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Signs with Rams"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"AThe departure of a special teams ace highlights the growing importance of ‘glue’ players who elevate a team’s overall discipline and competitiveness.Los Angeles Today<\/p>\n

The 2021 NFL Draft’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant’, Detroit Lions linebacker Jermar Stuard, has signed a two-year, $5.05 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Stuard’s departure from the Lions highlights the value teams place on reliable special teams contributors and the challenges Detroit faces in maintaining roster continuity.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Stuard’s signing with the Rams underscores the growing importance of special teams play in the NFL, as teams seek to maximize every inch of the field. For the Lions, Stuard’s exit opens up questions about how they will replace his leadership and energy on coverage units, and whether they will prioritize proven special teams contributors or focus on developing younger, more versatile players.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

In his one season with the Lions, Stuard carved out a role as a core special teams player, using his relentless effort and reliable execution to make an impact in the third phase of the game. The Rams’ two-year, $5.05 million contract for the 28-year-old linebacker signals their belief in the value of such specialized contributors, even if they may not be household names.<\/p>\n

Stuard signed a one-year, $1.7 million ‘prove-it’ deal with the Lions in 2021.The Rams signed Stuard to a two-year, $5.05 million contract in April 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Jermar Stuard<\/p>\n

A linebacker who carved out a role as a core special teams contributor for the Detroit Lions in 2021.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n

An NFL team that signed Jermar Stuard to a two-year, $5.05 million contract in 2026, highlighting the value they place on reliable special teams play.<\/p>\n

Detroit Lions<\/p>\n

An NFL team that must now replace Jermar Stuard’s leadership and energy on their special teams units.<\/p>\n

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\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Lions will need to evaluate their linebacker depth and special teams units to determine how to replace Stuard’s contributions. This could involve promoting an existing player, such as Rodriquez, or investing in a new addition who can provide similar energy and reliability on coverage teams.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Stuard’s departure from the Lions highlights the growing importance of specialized, high-energy contributors on special teams units in the NFL. As teams seek to maximize every inch of the field, the value of players like Stuard, who may not be stars but provide consistent, reliable performance, is becoming increasingly recognized across the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The departure of a special teams ace highlights the growing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[7,1014,58,2444,2611,6,424],"class_list":{"0":"post-864365","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-rams","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-los-angeles","10":"tag-los-angeles-rams","11":"tag-losangeles","12":"tag-losangelesrams","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-rams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116388919901810864","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}