This free agent linebacker would be an interesting replacement for Rams

The Los Angeles Rams now have a hole at off-ball linebacker. Last year’s starter Christian Rozeboom has signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers.

LA still has last season’s standout rookie, undrafted free agent Omar Speights, who is currently in-line for a big role in 2025; however, the Rams will still need a running mate to pair with Speights in base personnel.

One option that would be intriguing is New York Giants off-ball linebacker and converted safety Isaiah Simmons. Simmons is a former 8th overall selection by the Arizona Cardinals. He was traded in his fourth season to the Giants—where he’s spent the last two years—for a measly seventh-round pick.

Still, Simmons is athletic as they come at linebacker and for someone with a 6-4. 238 lbs. frame. There’s a fair argument that at this point his NFL career may be a lost cause, but if anyone can maximize untapped potential it just might be the Rams. At the very least Simmons could be a high-level special teams contributor.

In January Big Blue View wrote previewed the Giants’ impending free agent decision on Simmons—asking whether he should stay or go. New York signed Chris Board this week from the New England Patriots, which all but rules out a return for Simmons.

Here’s what our fellow SB Nation blog had to say about the linebacker and his untapped potential:

Reasons to keep Simmons

There are few 6-foot-4, 238-pound human beings who are as athletic as Simmons. He can be utilized in a variety of ways on defense, and we saw during the 2024 season how that athletic ability can be used on special teams.

He can wear a lot of hats for a defense, and his athleticism does allow him to run into big plays on occasion.

Reasons to let him go

Simmons is a tease. He has been in the NFL for five years after being drafted No. 8 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. Coach after coach has looked at Simmons’ athleticism, and tried to figure out ways to use it.

He has played inside linebacker, edge, nickel and wide cornerback, and free safety.

The problem is, he has not done any of those things all that well. Coaches keep moving him around and trying things because it is so hard to walk away from that athleticism.

At some point, though, athleticism isn’t enough. There has to be production, and for Simmons there just hasn’t been enough of that.

Why Simmons could fit in LA

Speights is a stout defender in the run game. If the Rams are going to bring in a veteran as either depth or a potential starter, they’ll need someone who can cover well and work in compliment with Speights’ skillset. Good coverage linebackers, however, don’t grow on trees. It might require a gamble or significant projection from a player that hasn’t already demonstrated they can consistently produce in this facet.

Enter Simmons, who a the very least could use his size and athleticism to man the middle of the defense and disrupt throwing lanes. With the aggressive pass rush we saw last season from the Rams, quarterbacks will start getting the ball out quickly and LA could use someone who can quickly get out to the flat and/or simulate pressures.

The Rams don’t need another run-stopping linebacker. In order to find someone who excels in coverage, they might have to look at non-traditional options. Isaiah Simmons fits that bill if they want to go after him in free agency to replace Christian Rozeboom.