The Rams are headed into Week 7 thin at linebacker, but Eric Kendricks gives them a veteran answer they didn’t have before.
With Nate Landman out because of a concussion, Los Angeles elevated Kendricks from the practice squad for the game after bringing him in earlier this month for exactly this kind of spot duty. It will be the first look at him in a Rams uniform, and the question now is how big a role he actually gets on defense.
Shaun Dolac and Grant Stuard are both candidates to mix in with Omar Speights, Landman’s usual running mate. Kendricks could end up mostly helping on special teams, or he could quickly become the primary option thanks to his background and experience.
That would not be unfamiliar territory for him. Last season, Kendricks went through a similar stretch with the San Francisco 49ers after they signed him to the practice squad in late November and then elevated him about a month later when injuries piled up.
He appeared in three regular-season games, started one, and then opened both playoff games. In the Wild Card Round win over the Eagles, he finished with 10 tackles and two TFLs.
The Rams probably are not expecting to live without Landman for long, but Kendricks has enough left to handle the job against the Raiders, whatever that looks like. Los Angeles could also lean on Dolac, whose youthful energy and coverage ability may make him a better answer against star tight end Brock Bowers. Las Vegas is expected to try to pick on Rams linebackers.
Another route would be to lean heavier into nickel or dime looks, using extra defensive backs and leaving Speights as the lone off-ball linebacker. That, though, could depend on whether Trent McDuffie is able to go. McDuffie and Puka Nacua are both questionable.
The bigger picture for the Rams is still a battered defense. Along with Landman and possibly McDuffie being sidelined, defensive linemen Kobie Turner and Poona Ford are on injured reserve, and Ford is out for the season.
So if Kendricks is on the field for meaningful snaps, it would help Los Angeles avoid piling even more work onto Dolac and Stuard while they already handle special teams duties. A 2019 All-Pro First-Teamer with the Vikings, the 11-year veteran may not need to be a long-term fix to matter here. He just needs to stabilize things for a defense trying to get through another week.
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