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The Los Angeles Rams added to their fairly thin linebacker group in free agency this week when they signed Nate Landman to a one-year deal. A former starter for the Atlanta Falcons, Landman became an unrestricted free agent after the team decided not to tender him.
After two strong seasons on Atlanta’s defense, Landman was looking for a new opportunity and he found himself returning to the West Coast. Though he was born in Zimbabwe, he moved to California when he was young and free agency was his chance to head back west.
That, along with his familiarity with Jimmy Lake and the overall success of the Rams as a franchise, drew him to Los Angeles.
"A lot of things went into it. One is the success of this program. Two, I'm a West Coast kid. Growing up in California and coming back home was a clear choice. Then, I built a pretty strong relationship last year with Jimmy Lake. All those things combined allowed for an easy decision. Just super excited to be here, grateful for the opportunity and excited to get rolling."
Lake was an assistant with the Rams in 2023 but when Raheem Morris was hired as the Falcons’ head coach last year, Lake followed him as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator. The Falcons fired him this offseason and he landed back with the Rams, which gives Landman some knowledge of Chris Shula’s system.
"There’s going to be differences for sure,” he said. “Everybody's got their own flavor. I’m excited to have some familiarity with the defense, knowing how we want to attack offenses, some of the scheme stuff and some of the verbiage. I think that'll make an easy transition for me coming from a similar scheme and having someone like Jimmy Lake that I have a relationship with."
Landman has yet to dive into things with Sean McVay despite their “brief conversation” together, but from afar, he can see what a special coach he is.
“His reputation is awesome,” Landman said.
"You can tell he really relates to his guys and he gets the best out of his guys. I'm super excited for him to give me this opportunity and I could tell that they're excited too. It's going to be a special year with the pieces they're adding. With a winning coach like that and the success that he has had, it's exciting for a free agent player to come in under that sort of leadership."
Landman could have an opportunity to start for the Rams this season, potentially alongside Omar Speights. He’ll have to earn that role but it’s clear he’s going to put everything he has into this new opportunity in L.A.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL free agency: Nate Landman explains why he signed with Rams
Continue reading...
After two strong seasons on Atlanta’s defense, Landman was looking for a new opportunity and he found himself returning to the West Coast. Though he was born in Zimbabwe, he moved to California when he was young and free agency was his chance to head back west.
That, along with his familiarity with Jimmy Lake and the overall success of the Rams as a franchise, drew him to Los Angeles.
"A lot of things went into it. One is the success of this program. Two, I'm a West Coast kid. Growing up in California and coming back home was a clear choice. Then, I built a pretty strong relationship last year with Jimmy Lake. All those things combined allowed for an easy decision. Just super excited to be here, grateful for the opportunity and excited to get rolling."
Lake was an assistant with the Rams in 2023 but when Raheem Morris was hired as the Falcons’ head coach last year, Lake followed him as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator. The Falcons fired him this offseason and he landed back with the Rams, which gives Landman some knowledge of Chris Shula’s system.
"There’s going to be differences for sure,” he said. “Everybody's got their own flavor. I’m excited to have some familiarity with the defense, knowing how we want to attack offenses, some of the scheme stuff and some of the verbiage. I think that'll make an easy transition for me coming from a similar scheme and having someone like Jimmy Lake that I have a relationship with."
Landman has yet to dive into things with Sean McVay despite their “brief conversation” together, but from afar, he can see what a special coach he is.
“His reputation is awesome,” Landman said.
"You can tell he really relates to his guys and he gets the best out of his guys. I'm super excited for him to give me this opportunity and I could tell that they're excited too. It's going to be a special year with the pieces they're adding. With a winning coach like that and the success that he has had, it's exciting for a free agent player to come in under that sort of leadership."
Landman could have an opportunity to start for the Rams this season, potentially alongside Omar Speights. He’ll have to earn that role but it’s clear he’s going to put everything he has into this new opportunity in L.A.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL free agency: Nate Landman explains why he signed with Rams
Continue reading...
