Los Angeles’s run defense is facing scrutiny following the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a game that also took a physical toll on the team’s linebacker unit. Both starting linebackers, Nate Landman and Omar Speights, reportedly came out of the opener with injuries—Landman with a shoulder/thumb issue and Speights dealing with a hip problem.
While reports out of Los Angeles indicate that both players are likely to be available for the upcoming Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, the decision to play potentially "limited players" is raising questions. The Giants are known for their physical, run-based offense and an athletic quarterback, which could challenge any player not at full strength.
Against the 49ers, Shaun Dolac, an undrafted linebacker, saw his most significant defensive snaps since Week 6 of 2025. He participated in 19 defensive plays and contributed 17 reps on special teams, logging six tackles. In that game, he primarily lined up to the wide side of the field, defending 13 run plays and six pass plays. Observations suggest that the 49ers' offense tended to attack the outside when Landman was covering that territory.
Reviewing Dolac’s film from the game, his performance wasn't a breakout moment, but his "downhill trigger and aggressive attacking of run gaps" stood out. Eight of the plays he was on the field for, including five passes, went away from his area of influence. The sole completed pass in his vicinity was a middle screen that gained five yards, providing a limited sample for assessing his pass defense.
Of the ten run plays Dolac defended, seven were graded as solid, two as negative, and one as a toss-up. One negative play involved a missed tackle on a Christian McCaffrey spin move, allowing a couple of extra yards. The other saw him cleanly blocked on a sweep that went for 14 yards. The toss-up was a seven-yard gain on a wide run where Dolac made the tackle from the opposite side of the formation but took what was described as an an "iffy pursuit angle."
Dolac's effectiveness in defending the run is driven by his instincts and aggression. He engages blockers physically and, when tasked with reading and pursuing, utilizes "nifty footwork and a nice swim move" to navigate through traffic at the line of scrimmage. Given the Rams' defensive scheme often involves linebackers matching and pursuing to areas rather than straight-up man coverage, his change of direction and trigger abilities theoretically offer upside in zone coverage, though he lacks extensive professional film in pass defense.
Dolac joined the Rams in 2025 as an undrafted free agent. Despite stellar college numbers, he was initially considered to lack the typical physical attributes for an NFL linebacker, standing at 6’1” and 225 lbs with just over 30-inch arms. However, he is described as "sneakily athletic and strong," with his testing profile consistently ranking in the 70th percentile, according to nfldraftbuzz.com.
Earning his way up a depth chart is a familiar path for Dolac. He started his college career at Buffalo as a walk-on and ultimately became a consensus All-American, leading the NCAA with 168 tackles in his final season. Even after twice topping 145 tackles, with 40.5 of those for loss, he did not receive invitations to all-star games or the NFL Draft Combine. These perceived snubs did not deter him; he secured a spot on the Rams’ 2025 opening roster and played in all 17 games before a knee injury sidelined him for the playoffs.
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay is known for his reluctance to replace established starters. However, with both Nate Landman and Omar Speights dealing with injuries after the opening game, this situation is seen as an opportune moment to give Dolac a more extended look. His aggressive style could potentially invigorate the Rams' defense. Many Rams fans would likely support such a move, perceiving the fielding of merely "serviceable" linebackers as part of the team's ongoing approach to the position.
While there's no guarantee that promoting Dolac would transform the Rams' second line of defense into an "impenetrable force," he did step up effectively when forced into a significant role during a one-off outing in Week 6 of last season. His work in training camp and practice has also been "lauded for on-field and chalkboard work." The organization has a viable third option in Dolac, removing the need to play two potentially compromised players.
