THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The toughest part about Alec Ogletree's transition to middle linebacker?

"Knowing each and every position; knowing the ins and outs of the whole defense," Ogletree said of transitioning to the crucial, demanding position for the Los Angeles Rams this season. "My position, they count on you to know everything."

Ogletree likes to call it the "Mike," a common moniker for middle linebackers, like "Sam" for strongside linebackers and "Will" for weakside linebackers. Ogletree is transitioning to "Mike" after spending most of his NFL time at the "Will." And he might have to do so without a key cog in the unit, with strongside linebacker Akeem Ayers, who started 11 games last season, surprisingly among those cut in the Rams' quest to pare the roster to an NFL-mandated 53 players on Saturday.

"It surprised everybody," Ogletree said of the Rams terminating Ayers' contract, a move that saved $3.3 million in salary-cap space. "We’re not in control of any of that. We hear it just as soon as y'all hear it. The guys that are here, they worked their tail off to be here. Unfortunately Akeem wasn't able to be here, but we have guys who are going to step in and play, and we'll see how that goes."

Alec Ogletree has embraced all aspects of being a middle linebacker, including being a leader. Photo by Kyusung Gong/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

Rams coach Jeff Fisher indicated Sunday that Ayers might return with a restructured contract, but for now the Rams are left with a lot of inexperience at the third linebacker spot. The group includes a sixth-round draft pick (Josh Forrest), two undrafted free agents (Nic Grigsby and Cory Littleton) and a second-year player who has yet to start an NFL game (Bryce Hager). That's all there is besides Ogletree and fellow starter Mark Barron, though the Rams will often run defensive schemes with five secondary players.

It'll all start with Ogletree, who is replacing James Laurinaitis, a man who departed -- for the New Orleans Saints -- as the Rams' franchise leader in tackles.

"He's been doing great," Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said of Ogletree. "He's a leader, he's a playmaker for the defense, and he's been making all the right calls and getting us right."

During a recent airing of "Hard Knocks," the HBO reality series that follows the Rams through training camp, Ogletree was shown airing out his teammates near the sidelines for giving up first-possession touchdowns in back-to-back preseason games. And in a recent practice, he got into scuffles after hard tackles on a couple of his own running backs, first Benjamin Cunningham and then Todd Gurley.

Those might be extreme examples, but Ogletree is more vocal and demonstrative this year.

"A lot more," Donald said.

"It definitely comes with the position," Ogletree added. "You can't avoid it. I've embraced that role, just trying to step up my leadership and make sure I'm doing the right thing so I can relay the message to the other guys."

Fisher pointed out on at least a couple of instances during the preseason that the defense was not doing an adequate enough job stopping the run. He referenced it in the hours following Week 3, after a game that saw Denver Broncos running backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman gain 95 yards on 16 carries, saying: "We've got to get those things fixed before Week 1 or else we'll have some problems in the regular season."

The Rams' season-opening opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, aren't expected to be a very good team, but they will be run-oriented, with Carlos Hyde the focal point of first-year coach Chip Kelly's offense.

"We know what we can do," Ogletree said. "We're going to be ready come game time. Stopping the run -- that's the first thing we have to do. That's where our mindset is right now."

Ogletree -- listed at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds -- ran more and studied harder as he prepared to be the new signal-caller of the Rams' defense. The 24-year-old was a first-round draft pick in 2013 and started each of the Rams' first 36 games thereafter, compiling 206 tackles and three interceptions until a broken fibula on Oct. 4, 2015, forced his season to end prematurely.

Ogletree's ability has never been questioned -- but can he lead this unit?

"I feel good about it," Ogletree said. "I've been in this defense for three years now, so I've learned from 'Sam,' 'Will' and now the 'Mike' position. I know a lot of the defense. But at the 'Mike,' you have to learn every single position. It's a little bit different, but at the same time it's still good."