Rams DC Chris Shula explains why Troy Reeder is a 'very valuable piece'

The inside linebacker position caused a lot of consternation and frustration among Los Angeles Rams fans this week. Not only did the team cut fifth-round rookie Chris Paul Jr., but Los Angeles kept Troy Reeder on the 53-man roster.

Reeder’s inclusion wasn’t much of a surprise after sitting out the preseason, but the fact that the Rams kept him over Paul shocked just about everyone. Fans questioned why Paul was cut, as well as what the team sees in Reeder after he struggled mightily with the team in 2024 before getting hurt.

On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Chris Shula answered that second question. He praised Reeder’s reliability behind Nate Landman and Omar Speights, as well as his leadership as a pseudo-coach on the field.

“He's a guy that we can trust,” Shula said. “We’ve obviously got Landman and Omar as our top two guys, but if god forbid anything happened, he's the guy that could just seamlessly go in. He has been in the system. I've been his linebacker coach a couple of different times and know him very well. A guy that could seamlessly go in and then what he's done is he's taken some of these young guys off. He's taken a mentorship [role] and he’s thinking about getting into coaching and he's taken that role where he's almost the assistant linebacker's coach in the room as well and obviously the special teams captain. He's a very valuable piece for us and we're all happy to have him.”

Before getting hurt last season, Reeder had 46 tackles and one pass defensed with six missed tackles, according to PFF. He really struggled in coverage, allowing 14 receptions on 19 targets for 149 yards.

He isn’t expected to contribute on defense this season unless there’s an injury, but he does bring special teams value and leadership to the linebacker group. He may not be the most talented defender but he impacts the team in other ways.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Chris Shula explains Troy Reeder's value to the team