The Los Angeles Rams defense is coming off a tremendous effort in 2024. Even as fans can point to a porous run defense that was not even able to slow down Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, the defense put up 16 quarterback sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, one interception, forced two fumbles, and even scored a touchdown off a fumble. But there is room for improvement. There is always room for improvement.
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And the Rams coaching staff is focused on improving.
Of course, the Rams are not simply sitting back and hoping that positive change simply happens. This is a defense that planted the seeds of talented rookies into the roster, watched them ascend to the top of the depth charts, and continues to prove their excellence on the football field over and over.
With each play, every game, young players like DT Braden Fiske, OLB Jared Verse, and DB Kamren Kinchens gain invaluable experience. And with increasing experience, they develop into formidable NFL players, capable of applying their athleticism and skill sets to achieve maximum impact on every play.
But what of the players who have not gotten many opportunities to gain experience on the football field on game day? Or those players who possess extensive NFL experience, but not with this team? They must make their move at impressing the coaching staff now, in t-shirts and shorts, and hope that the positive impressions made during OTAs and minicamp can carry over into the Rams training camp, preseason, and even into the regular season.
So, who are the standouts from the relatively little-known players who are leapfrogging their teammates with impressive performances through minicamp? If you ask Rams HC Sean McVay, he has no trouble naming three veterans on the defensive side of the football to highlight as shakers and movers this season. They are ILB Nate Landman, OLB Brennan Jackson, and CB Emmanuel Forbes.
While you can discount and scoff at promising reports that surface right now, it's difficult to ignore names that Coach McVay rattles off with ease. Sure, it's only minicamp. Yet, the pads have not been donned. But from this point on, the unofficial depth chart has been established.
When the pads do go on, these three players will get reps with starters and are likely to be awarded key rotational roles. Now, let's discuss why:
(3) - ILB Nate Landman
As soon as the Rams signed veteran inside linebacker Nate Landman, I was disappointed. That reaction had very little to do with Landman's production, skills, or fit on this team. I perceived that Landman's arrival meant that rookie ILB Omar Speights had competition for a starting role, and that he would likely be benched in favor of the more experienced veteran.
So far, that is exactly what is taking place.
While many view Landman as the veteran who replaces Troy Reeder in the defense, I just don't see it. After all, the problem with the team pairing both Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom as starters in the 2024 defense was that the pair overlapped skill sets. Neither was particularly good at stuffing the run. Both missed a lot of tackles. Both retreated, allowing significant gains by running backs, and struggled to shed blockers.
Now Rozeboom is gone.
Landman gives the Rams defense just about everything that ILB Omar Speights brings to the defense, with one additional dimension. He is a seasoned veteran who understands and has demonstrated how to call defensive plays and lead the group. And his 2023 performance was exactly what the Rams sought for the inside linebacker position.
Even I have to admit that my reservations are proving to be needless concern. And if Nate Landman delivers his 2023 level of production for the Rams, he could very well be the missing link to a great defense. If early reports are to be believed, he may be on track for a career-high season.
If he delivers, veteran inside linebacker Nate Landman can be a great fit in this defense. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 238 pounds, a robust and powerful size for a Rams inside linebacker. If he can replicate his 2023 production, he stands to dominate as a run-stuffer, as well as provide enough pass coverage to frustrate opposing quarterbacks. He even offers a promising pass rush, which is something that we know DC Chris Shula loves to break out of his toolbox to devastating effect.
Best of all, a burly starting ILB like Landman increases the chances of smaller ILBs who can cover like a defensive back, like Pooh Paul Jr or Shaun Dolac, to have a legitimate shot at earning a starting role as well. I admit that I may not have been overwhelmed by the addition of Nate Landman, but I love what I am seeing from him so far.
(2) - OLB Brennan Jackson
I understand that the surge of positive vibes over the addition of rookie OLB Josiah Stewart is the flavor of the day right now, but I hold to my position that the most likely suitor to replace outgoing veteran OLB Michael Hoecht is second-year outside linebacker Brennan Jackson. And from the early reports out of the Rams OTAs and minicamp, Jackson is delivering just as I had hoped he might.
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 264 pounds, Jackson is as much at home with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end as taking on the two-point stance as an outside linebacker. That is simply one of several characteristics that give Jackson the pole position of claiming many of Hoecht's vacated defensive snaps in 2025.
Brennan Jackson
Jackson was dinged up in his rookie season, limiting his opportunities to just 47 defensive snaps. With so few chances, he only put up three tackles last season. While that was hardly the type of season to get excited about, it did serve as a solid foundation for a rookie to use as a springboard into a much better sophomore season. So far, Brennan Jackson is making up for lost time.
Jackson is more than an edge setter, an orange pylon, or a warm-blooded obstacle that is little more than a blocking sled. He is a fiercely physical defender whose presence on the football field elevates the performance of his teammates. He does not just defend, he attacks whoever has the football and stymies and tosses aside anyone who gets in his way.
Projected to be selected as early as Day 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jackson proved to be too much value for the Rams to resist double-dipping edge rushers in the draft. Unfortunately, injuries slowed his development last season, which severely limited his workload. This season, there are no such restrictions.
I won't assert that Jackson's rise to relevance will keep rookie OLB Josaiah Stewart on the bench. But if he stays healthy and on track, Brennan Jackson will be a huge force in a Rams pass rush that is already positioned to be among the NFL's best this year.
(1) - CB Emmanuel Forbes
The LA Rams have not addressed the cornerback position effectively in the past two NFL drafts. Well, not directly. But when the team effectively claimed cornerback Emmanuel Forbes of the Washington Commanders waiver wire, they spent nothing to add a defensive back who was ranked as the eighth-best cornerback in the 2023 rookie class.
Despite his draft ranking as the eighth-best cornerback in 2023, Forbest was projected as a mid-round 1 selection, which is exactly where the Commanders called out his name as the 16th overall selection in that draft. But the Commanders changed head coaches and general managers, and the new regime was eager to part ways with the underachieving Forbes.
Their loss equals the Rams gain.
Emmanuel Forbes
Let's be quite clear, though. Forbes may have been a low-risk, high-reward signing, but he does hold some inherent risks. The clear risk is that if he does not pan out, he has needlessly filled a vital roster spot. And because he was selected in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, his salary places him as the 19th highest paid player on the Rams roster. That places him with more compensation than OLB Byron Young, DT Braden Fiske, or even DT Kobie Turner.
So it's not as though the Rams have nothing to lose in the attempt to coach him up to his optimal potential.
But sometimes the reward is worth the risk, and Forbes is a shining example of that. After all, you have to be impressed knowing that Emmanuel Forbes collected 14 interceptions in just three seasons with the Mississippi State Tigers, six of which were pick-six touchdowns. That is exactly the type of defensive back that this defense salivates over, as was proven by the team's selection of Miami University ball-hawking safety Kamren Kinchens.
Beyond that, you have to appreciate the fact that Forbes was a productive teammate of DB Kam Curl in the Commanders' secondary in 2023. He started six games for the Commanders as a rookie, putting up 38 tackles, two tackles for a loss, 11 pass deflections, and an interception. He only allowed 60.7 percent of the passes thrown his way to find their mark. Curiously, he had allowed just three of five passes to be completed in one start for the Rams, a 60 percent completion rate.
But now he is working with Rams secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant, and is making great strides under Pleasant's tutelage. From a draft profile weight of 166 pounds, he is officially listed at 180 pounds. But the impression this year is that Forbes has muscled up yet again, some estimating his current weight at five to ten more pounds of added muscle.
And so far, that more muscular physique is powering him to the top of the depth chart.
Forbes is listed on the Rams' official website at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds. But that size is less important than his performance on the football field. And if the reports out of OTAs and minicamp are correct, Rams fans are in for a real treat as Forbes competes for a starting role in the Rams' secondary.
The real work starts when the pads go on. The proof is in the pudding when the Rams open their 2025 NFL season by hosting the Houston Texans. But if early indications hold, the defense will be stronger than ever this season.
As always, thanks for reading.
