The Los Angeles Rams defense carried them in the second half of the 2024 season and the group looks much improved heading into the 2025 campaign.
The defensive line featuring Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Byron Young is arguably the best young core up front, and the Rams added to the room by signing key free agents like Poona Ford. The secondary could potentially use more talent, especially on the perimeter, but defensive coordinator Chris Shula proved he could work around any deficiencies.
Meanwhile, the middle of the field is often an area that the Rams are OK not to invest in, though they spent the No. 172 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Chris Paul Jr. Paul is an undersized inside linebacker who plays much bigger and physically than one would expect.
Unfortunately, Paul has been sitting during training camp due to a calf injury and head coach Sean McVay said he isn’t recovering as quickly as the team had hoped.
“Yeah, I think they tried to do a couple things with Reggie [Scott] and his group today. It wasn’t exactly where we had hoped right now,” McVay said. “I think the smart thing will be when he is ready to go, and then obviously we’ll have our focus on some of those first preseason games. I think we were hoping that he would be a little bit further along. He’s a tough kid. Sometimes these muscle strains can be tricky. That’s where we’re at with that right now.”
Injuries have already been a problem during training camp for Los Angeles as Matthew Stafford isn’t practicing either due to back soreness. Alaric Jackson is also on the mend after dealing with another round of blood clots, so it’s not too encouraging to hear that Paul could be out longer than expected.
These are valuable reps that Paul is missing out on during training camp and could cost him a role on defense this season. Omar Speights and Nate Landman appear entrenched to handle inside linebacker duties, so Paul could be relegated to special teams.
There’s legitimate upside with Paul, but for now he’ll need to focus on getting healthy so he can get back on the field with his teammates.
Sean McVay impressed with Nate Landman during Rams training camp
The Rams signed former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Nate Landman to a one-year deal in free agency, and so far he’s stood out in training camp as someone that’s impressed Sean McVay.
