The Los Angeles Rams have turned to a familiar special teams option before their first game at SoFi Stadium this season.
The Rams elevated Eli Neal from the practice squad for Monday night’s matchup with the New York Giants, Blaine Grisak of Sports Illustrated reported on Sept. 21.
The move gives Los Angeles a linebacker after both starters at the position appeared on the injury report throughout the week.
Omar Speights worked through a hip injury before returning to full participation Saturday, while Nate Landman is limited by a shoulder injury. Neither player carried a game designation on the Rams’ final injury report, an encouraging sign for the defensive rotation.
The 25-year-old has yet to play a defensive snap in an NFL regular-season game, but he logged 100 special teams snaps for Los Angeles across the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Reference’s 2024 and 2025 snap counts.
Neal Was as a Tackling Machine at Marshall
Neal’s NFL role has been modest, but his college production explains why the Rams continue to keep him in their plans.
The former Marshall standout amassed 375 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and five interceptions over 62 games, via his official Rams biography. He added 14 passes defended and recovered five fumbles.
As a senior in 2023, Neal finished with 93 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. The production earned him third-team All-Sun Belt honors and helped establish him as an experienced, instinctive presence in the middle.
Los Angeles signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He beat the odds by making the initial 53-man roster and appeared in six games as a rookie. He returned for two more regular-season appearances in 2025, with all 23 of his snaps coming on special teams. The Rams brought him back on a reserve/future contract in February, then added him to the practice squad after final cuts in August.
Neal has flashed playmaking value in that phase. During the 2024 preseason, he recovered a muffed punt against the Houston Texans and returned possession to the Rams in the red zone.
His latest call-up offers another chance to carve out a place in the weekly game-day operation.
Giants’ Mobile Backfield Makes Extra Linebacker Depth Valuable
The occasion makes sense with the challenge waiting Monday night.
Jaxson Dart opened his second season by completing 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Dallas Cowboys. He also rushed for 54 yards, while Cam Skattebo supplied 81 yards and a touchdown, per the Giants’ official matchup notes.
Those numbers reinforce the demand placed on linebackers and kick-coverage units. Dart can punish poor angles once he escapes the pocket, and Skattebo runs with the power to turn missed tackles into extended drives.
The Rams received 11 tackles apiece from Speights and Landman in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Speights also intercepted a pass and broke up two others, production Los Angeles will need as it attempts to rebound from a 27-7 loss.
Neal is unlikely to displace either starter.
Although for a team trying to steady itself after a bruising opener, adding a proven tackler with two years in the system qualifies as sensible insurance.
LA Rams Call Up 375-Tackle LB Amid Injuries Before Giants Game