Rams Add Kendricks to a Linebacker Room That Needs the Help

The Rams signed Eric Kendricks, adding a veteran presence to a linebacker group that has been leaning on Nate Landman, Byron Young, and Omar Speights heading into Sunday's game in Philadelphia. With Myles Garrett on injured reserve and Aaron Donald managing a back issue, the defense has been short-handed at multiple levels, and the linebacker depth was thin enough to warrant the move.

Kendricks has been around long enough to know an NFL system on short notice. He spent the bulk of his career as a starter in Minnesota, the kind of player who can process a playbook quickly and not cost you in coverage. The Rams aren't asking him to be a difference-maker — they need a body who won't be lost on third down.

The timing is what it is. Going into Lincoln Financial Field with a depleted defensive front and now patching the second level with a veteran free agent is not ideal preparation. But the alternative — playing short against an Eagles offense that can stress every level of a defense — was worse.