Rams LB Nate Landman: No. 21 Player Must Return to Early-Season Form

The Rams’ defensive backbone is the subject of a detailed countdown, with Nate Landman ranked No. 21 among the team’s top players for 2026. Landman arrived as a free agent in 2025 and immediately changed Los Angeles’ run defense, forcing four fumbles and posting 132 tackles. The Rams extended him midseason, designating him the signal-caller of the defense and a vocal leader. Depth behind him is thin, with Shaun Dolac and Grant Stuard as limited alternatives. If Landman misses games, the Rams would lean more on the secondary and interior line, risking a repeat of 2024’s run defenses rather than maintaining the front’s dominance.