Rams linebackers come under scrutiny as Los Angeles targets sharper defense in the passing game

The Los Angeles Rams are putting their linebackers under a heavier microscope as the team builds toward the 2025 season, with pass defense expected to take a larger share of the spotlight after recent improvements in the run game. The organizing premise is straightforward: if the Rams can limit big running plays and keep opponents from sustaining drives, the coverage and pressure package becomes easier to execute, and linebacker play becomes more decisive.

In 2024, the Rams’ defense struggled to contain the ground game and the problems showed up in multiple ways. Yahoo Sports’ preview of the 2026 outlook points to a bottom-10 run defense that surrendered 130 rushing yards per game and allowed 4.6 yards per carry. The same piece also links the issues to the defense’s inability to control game script, noting that Los Angeles finished among the bottom five teams in drives allowed, plays given up, yards allowed, and time per drive.

That broader picture matters for why linebackers are now being framed as the key area to evaluate. While any single position cannot be blamed for an entire unit’s production, the linebacker group is often where a defense’s run fits, coverage responsibilities, and communication either stabilize the front seven or compound mistakes. When opponents are able to sustain long drives, the impact hits the entire play calling plan, from third-down tendencies to how aggressively the defensive staff can dial up pressure.

The shift in emphasis described in the preview also reflects a mandate the team carried into 2025. Yahoo Sports characterizes the offseason planning as driven by a clear need to clean up run defense, and it suggests that improvements there created room for the next step: better pass defense. In practical terms, that means the linebackers’ workload will likely remain tied to both phases, from closing space against the run to matching routes and covering space in second-level roles.

It is also worth noting that “under a microscope” does not automatically mean dramatic on-field results will follow or that the Rams’ linebacker corps was the only driver of the 2024 statistical profile. The cited numbers describe the team’s defensive outcomes as a whole, and those outcomes can reflect scheme, personnel across the front, secondary coverage, coaching emphasis, and game-to-game opponent quality.

Still, the Rams’ path to becoming more consistent is closely tied to shortening drives and reducing yards after opponents get into comfortable rhythms. If Los Angeles can translate its run-defense progress into fewer second-chance plays, the defense’s pass rush and secondary coverage can be used more effectively, and linebackers can spend more reps in the roles best suited to their strengths.

For fans, the most direct way to track whether the emphasis is landing will be to watch how the Rams defend early downs and how quickly they get off the field on third down. The linebacker group will be central to that evaluation, particularly in situations where run fits spill into the pass game, forcing the defense to show it can adjust without giving up chunk plays.