The Los Angeles Rams’ defense came on strong at the end of the 2024 NFL season, but there is certainly room for improvement with the free agency period coming up.
While a trade for a player like Myles Garrett would catapult Chris Shula’s unit into the stratosphere, there are other options out there for general manager Les Snead to consider. One of those options is All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, who is coming off a career year with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles and will enter the open market if he isn’t given the franchise tag or an extension.
Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe believes the Rams will sign Baun this offseason to bolster the team’s linebacker unit despite other areas of need. L.A. doesn’t have a clear plan at inside linebacker yet, with both Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom set to hit free agency themselves.
All three are around the same age (Baun and Rozeboom are 28, while Reed is 30), so it’s a matter of style or an expectation of production for this position. The Rams could stick with their incumbents who were solid, if not spectacular. Reed tallied 46 tackles in six games before he sustained a season-ending hamstring injury, while Rozeboom led the team with 135 tackles.
Baun, though, was arguably the best middle linebacker in the league this season. His 151 tackles tied for sixth-most in the NFL this season and he also wracked up 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles, four defended passes and one interception. Baun added six tackles and fumble recovery in the Rams 28-22 loss to the Eagles in the Divisional round.
Simply put: Baun did it all in 2024.
Despite a career year, Baun had been an afterthought with the New Orleans Saints prior to joining Vic Fangio’s defense in Philadelphia. There could be concern that his production is a flash in the pan, especially at his expected contract value of $9.7 million annually, per Spotrac.
Baun is intriguing, but it remains to be seen if the Rams will pounce on what should be a high-profile free agent with the estimated $44 million in salary cap space heading into the 2025 offseason.
Rolfe’s other targets for the Rams are former Rams linebackers Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones, offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. and receivers Amari Cooper and Marquise Brown.