Los Angeles Rams: Players who must step up in 2020 to reach the playoffs
By Jason Reed
3. Samson Ebukam
The entire linebacker group is going to have to step up in 2020. The linebackers are going to make or break how good the Rams’ defense is going to be and whether it is going to be a liability or if it is going to hold its own while the offense wins the games.
Cory Littleton was the team’s best linebacker last season, Clay Matthews release creates a hole and Dante Fowler Jr signing with the Atlanta Falcons created a hole that was filled by Leonard Floyd.
Out of all the existing linebackers on the Rams, the one that is going to have to take that next step is Samson Ebukam, as he is likely going to be replacing Littleton as the team’s weakside linebacker on defense.
The great part about Ebukam is that while he is not a household name, he has shown some really promising signs in his NFL career that leads us to believe that he can become a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball.
Ebukam’s best performance of his career came in that insane Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018. Ebukam recorded a sack in that game with two touchdowns, one via touchdown and one via fumble recovery.
That is not the reason for our expectations of Ebukam, however, as he has been solid in the chances that he has gotten with the Los Angeles Rams. He is a threat in rushing the quarterback and is not a liability in coverage. Ebukam has never had a grade lower than 66 in his career on Pro Football Focus.