Omar Speights has spent Rams training camp making the kind of case that tends to stick with coaches: steady reps, no wasted motion, and the same dependable presence every day.
That has not gone unnoticed by defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who was direct about what he’s seeing from the linebacker.
"Omar's awesome. Steady, man.
Consistent. Love that guy," said Shula, via beat writers Stu Jackson and Zach Edwards.
"Since he's been here, he's just exactly where he's supposed to be, he's a physical player, he can diagnose in the run game, he has no wasted movement. You know exactly what you're getting every single day out of Omar Speights, and so happy we have him."
For Speights, that kind of endorsement matters because his spot is one of the few real battlegrounds on a Rams roster with competition everywhere. He’s also one of the few returning starters, but his job hasn’t been locked down simply because he started 26 games over two seasons, including all 16 he played in 2025 and five more in the playoffs.
The issue has always been the same: coverage. Speights has been solid enough against the run, but the Rams need their other inside linebacker next to Nate Landman to handle short-area routes and hold up in the middle of the field. That’s where the questions have lived.
Even so, Speights keeps finding ways to stay in the mix. He’s shown that toughness and reliability that coaches love, and he’s done it while piling up production.
Since 2024, he has made 152 tackles and missed only six, according to Pro Football Reference, a whiff rate of just 3.8 percent. PFF charted him with 10 missed tackles last year, but still put his run-defense grade in the top 35 percent at the position.
Availability has been another selling point. Speights has missed just one game since entering the league, and counting the postseason, he has started each of his last 30 games played. His regular-season snap total also jumped by 60 percent last season, another sign that the Rams leaned on him more and more.
The coverage numbers, at least on paper, are not disastrous. PFF gave Speights a 90.8 passer rating allowed in 2025, which ranked 17th among 88 qualified off-ball linebackers, and his coverage grade landed in the top third.
But the eye test has told a different story for plenty of fans, and the frustration hasn’t come from nowhere. Speights has had some costly playoff mistakes, which is part of why his spot on the depth chart has drawn scrutiny in the first place.
Shaun Dolac and Nikhai Hill-Green are still there as younger options trying to push the conversation forward. But that challenge hasn’t really caught fire this summer.
With Rams training camp set to wrap up on August 7, Speights appears to have done enough to stay in front.
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