The Rams are still sorting out the back end of their roster, and linebacker is one of the spots getting attention before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. On Thursday, Los Angeles added Monty Rice, a former third-round pick who has bounced around the league since entering it in 2021.
Rice came into the NFL as a Tennessee Titans selection out of Georgia, where he finished his college career with First-Team All-SEC honors as a senior. Since then, he has logged time with the Titans, New England Patriots, and Detroit Lions, appearing in 39 games with 11 starts. His career line includes 110 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two passes defended.
A lot of Rice’s value has come away from the defense. He has played 475 special teams snaps and recorded 21 special teams tackles, and he was Pro Football Focus’ 11th-highest-graded special teams player as a rookie. He also drew strong marks again in 2024 with New England.
There has been some real defensive work on his resume too. In 2022, Rice played a sizable role for the Titans, and among linebackers with at least 350 snaps, he ranked 20th in run defense. He also finished 15th in tackling grade, and his 4.7 percent missed tackle rate was the seventh-best.
The Rams are not exactly handing out linebacker jobs, though. Nate Landman, Omar Speights, Shaun Dolac, and Grant Stuard are all ahead of Rice on the depth chart, which makes the roster path a tough one. Still, the room behind those names is thin on experience, so Rice has a real shot to push for a practice squad spot.
Los Angeles has clearly been working to shore up that area. Elias Neal and Kai Hill-Green were the only options there heading into the summer, and the Rams also recently signed Daniel Rickert.
Rice’s career has already taken a few turns. The Titans drafted him in the third round, then moved on after a Week 13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.
At that point, he had been behind veterans early in his career and was expected to start in his third season, but he was outplayed by an undrafted free agent in camp and stayed in a backup role. He also missed most of the preseason for personal reasons.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel put it plainly then: “It just didn’t work out. I’m sure Monty will go on and have another opportunity. We’ll give other guys opportunities here."
For the Rams, it’s a low-risk pickup at a position that still needs more bodies. Rice may not be the same player the Titans once drafted, but he gives Los Angeles another option as camp rolls on.
If he sticks, it could be on the practice squad. If not, he at least gets fresh film to show the rest of the league once the season begins.
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