Rams linebacker Omar Speights was a fan favorite during the preseason, making a name for himself as an undrafted rookie with standout performances against the Cowboys and Chargers. He played so well in those two games that the Rams held him out of the third preseason matchup because he had already locked up a roster spot.
In the first six games of the regular season, Speights only played special teams. Fans were calling for him to get opportunities at linebacker, but it wasn’t until Troy Reeder got hurt that he earned a chance to play defense.
In his debut against the Vikings last Thursday, Speights made four tackles in only 22 snaps played on defense, getting the start next to Christian Rozeboom. He was the Rams’ fourth-highest graded player on defense, per PFF, earning a mark of 67.7 in Los Angeles’ win.
Sean McVay came away impressed with Speights’ performance, complimenting the rookie on Monday.
“I thought he did a nice job,” McVay said. “He played in our base package, and you could see he was in the right spots. He had a couple of those plays where he is arriving violently at the point of attack. Good recognition of some of the concepts that they were doing, whether that be run or play action. I was pleased with Omar.”
Speights may not have made highlight-reel plays, but he also didn’t allow any catches in coverage (he wasn’t targeted) and he also didn’t miss any tackles. Against a talented team like the Vikings, that’s a good sign.
He’ll likely be asked to keep playing meaningful snaps for at least the next three weeks while Troy Reeder is on injured reserve and if he performs well enough, he may never give up his starting job.