After trading away both Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree, as well as letting Connor Barwin walk in free agency, the Los Angeles Rams were left with gaping holes at inside and outside linebacker. Quinn and Ogletree were not only vocal leaders on defense, but they were also longtime starters for the Rams.

Replacing that sort of leadership isn’t easy, but neither necessarily met their expectations last season. Ogletree was one of the worst linebackers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and Robert Quinn was hardly an impact player until the second half of the season.

Replacing them in 2018 could very well be Cory Littleton and Samson Ebukam, who are both competing for starting jobs. Neither is particularly experienced, but they’re good athletes and played well in spot duty last season.

That’s part of the reason linebackers coach Joe Barry is excited about them heading into next season.

Neither Littleton nor Ebukam will be handed starting jobs with guys like Matt Longacre, Justin Lawler, Ramik Wilson and Micah Kiser competing, as well. However, they’re certainly among the front-runners for each position, especially after it was reported that he’s getting Mike linebacker reps in OTAs.

It’s going to be an interesting summer at linebacker, to say the least.