Position-by-position breakdown – Press Enterprise

THOUSAND OAKS — Newcomer linebacker Bobby Wagner rarely left the field in practice this summer because he wanted to master the Rams’ defense, but in the process he showed that he’s still the same All-Pro player who dominated the middle of the field with the Seattle Seahawks for 10 seasons.

Wagner, 32, will do it all for the Rams’ defense in 2022, with his knowledge and experience likely being the most valuable. He knows what it takes to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls, but Wagner doesn’t want to hear about his past accomplishments.

He’ll form an impressive trio with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey to give the Rams’ defense star playmakers in all three phases. Here’s a look at the Rams’ defense heading into the 2022 regular season, which opens Thursday night at home against the Buffalo Bills:

Defensive linemen: Aaron Donald, Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, Marquise Copeland, Michael Hoecht, Jonah Williams, Bobby Brown (six-game suspension)

Donald contemplated retirement in the offseason, but he hasn’t lost the intensity that made him the best defensive player of the past decade. Occasionally, that gets the best of him, like the helmet-swinging brawl in Cincinnati, but Donald avoided a team suspension and will anchor the Rams’ interior defensive line for a ninth season.

Gaines and Robinson will again look to capitalize on the double and triple teams that Donald will surely command in the regular season. Copeland will likely receive snaps as a key rotational player after a productive training camp, and so will Brown once he returns from his six-game suspension for performance-enhancing substances.

Hoecht and Williams might see action before Brown ends his suspension and they will likely contribute on special teams.

Outside linebackers: Leonard Floyd, Justin Hollins, Terrell Lewis, Keir Thomas, Daniel Hardy (Injured reserve)

Floyd regained his spot as the Rams’ top edge rusher after Von Miller’s free-agency departure to Buffalo. But the team lacks depth and has uncertainty after Floyd.

Hollins didn’t relinquish his starting role in training camp and will be asked to fill Miller’s void by generating pressures and sacks, an area he’s struggled with in his first three seasons.

Hollins, however, is consistent and versatile. Lewis hasn’t provided that with two injury-riddled seasons, but the team remains high on his potential and skill set.

Thomas, an undrafted rookie, could see snaps as the fourth outside linebacker with Hardy, also a rookie, nursing an ankle injury. Don’t be surprised if the Rams look to bolster this position with outside help.

Inside linebackers: Bobby Wagner, Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom, Jake Hummel, Travin Howard (Non-football injury list)

Wagner’s arrival will help with the Rams’ lack of pass rushers. He excelled in that area with the Seahawks and the Rams weren’t afraid to unleash him as a pass rusher in training camp.

But Wagner showed that he’s still a quality all-around middle linebacker and he’ll be asked to call the defense and defend as a run stopper and in coverage. Expect Wagner to see a heavy workload in his 11th NFL season.

Jones doesn’t have Wagner’s experience, but he’s just as versatile, evident by his pass-rushing help in Super Bowl LVI. Rozeboom and Hummel are expected to have roles on special teams.