The Los Angeles Rams suffered a bit of a blow on defense after linebacker Micah Kiser was ruled out indefinitely with a pectoral injury that will require surgery.
Kiser entered the preseason as the starter at insider linebacker alongside Cory Littleton. Unfortunately, he suffered the injury during the Rams’ Week 2 preseason matchup in Hawaii against the Dallas Cowboys and a timetable for his return still has yet to be determined.
As a result, Los Angeles will now look to Bryce Hager to fill in as the starter heading into the 2019 NFL season. Fortunately, the team is confident in his ability to serve as a viable replacement.
According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, head coach Sean McVay feels he is ready to step up and fill the void:
“He’s capable of being a starting player in this league,” Rams coach Sean McVay said about Hager, before the results of Kiser’s MRI were announced. “He’s definitely demonstrated that when given the opportunity, he’s capitalized on those chances.”
It is encouraging to see that McVay is confident in Hager’s potential. The fifth-year linebacker out of Baylor has spent the bulk of his career as a contributor on special teams, however, he will now be tasked with taking on an integral role in the defense moving forward.
There is good reason for McVay not to expect too much of a drop-off. After all, Kiser was still an unproven player in his own right and was hoping to establish himself as a legitimate starter after being taken in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He is now the latest example of why McVay has gone against the grain by opting to sit out the majority of his starters during the preseason. Kiser was one of the few new faces that he allowed to take part in the exhibition games and it ultimately cost them for the time being.
Despite the notable addition of Clay Matthews this offseason, the linebacker corps was still one of the biggest areas of concern for the Rams going into the regular season. Although Matthews’ versatile skill set will allow Wade Phillips’ some flexibility with this group, the lack of depth will be something for Los Angeles to keep an eye on.
While Hager has officially been pegged as the starter, he will still face plenty of competition from the other linebackers on the roster in Kiser’s absence. Travin Howard, Dakota Allen, and Natrez Patrick are among the other notable players looking to take advantage of their increased snaps over the final two preseason games.
