Rams Free Agent Acquisition Makes Big Impact In Week 1
Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman is PFF’s No. 3–graded linebacker after Week 1, and the performance matches the metric. In the 14-9 win over Houston, Landman stacked a clean line: 56 defensive snaps (98%), 6 special teams snaps, 6 solo tackles, 4 assists, 1 forced fumble, and a QB hit. In coverage, he was targeted twice, allowed one catch for 8 yards, and had no touchdowns. That is assignment football that wins downs and shortens drives.
Rams Get Game-Saving Fumble Via Nate Landman
The path here matters. Landman went undrafted, carved out a role in Atlanta, and arrived in Los Angeles this offseason as a value free agent. He then owned training camp. Coaches praised how quickly he set fronts, fit the run, and communicated checks. The result was trust. The staff handed him the green dot immediately, a quiet tell that he would be the on-field voice for Chris Shula’s defense from snap one.
This is also the Rams’ team-building blueprint at work. They do not pour premium picks or big cap dollars into off-ball linebacker. Instead, they scout, sign, and develop reliable tacklers who can wear the headset, play special teams, and hold up in coverage. Landman is the model. He plays downhill with leverage, tackles through contact, and rarely gives up yards after catch. When the Rams spin the dial into pressure, he keeps rush lanes honest and still nudges the pocket on interior games.
The impact showed up snap to snap against Houston. Early fits cut off cutback lanes, checkdowns died on contact, and the forced fumble recovered by Fiske flipped field position. Those hidden plays are why a defense gets off the field and why a one-score game never tilted the wrong way.
One week is a snapshot, not a verdict, but Landman’s tape looks sticky. If he keeps stacking this level of control and communication, the Rams will have solved midd
Eagles Make Shocking Deal For ‘Underrated, Underused’ AFC South RB
For much of the offseason we’ve wondered what Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was going to do with a war chest of draft picks accumulated over the last few years.
The answer has been — pretty much anything he wants.
Roseman’s wheeling and dealing stayed at an electric pace following Philadelphia’s Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, with the Eagles sending a 2025 fifth round pick and 2025 sixth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for third year running back Tank Bigsby.
“Trade: Jaguars are sending RB Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on September 8.
Bigsby creates a crowded running backs room in Philadelphia with reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, A.J. Dillon and Will Shipley already on the roster.
Bigsby was a grossly underrated and underused weapon last season in Jacksonville with 820 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns in 16 games with just 1 start while playing behind Travis Etienne.
‘Underrated’ RB Shined During SEC Days
Bigsby, 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020 with 918 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns for Auburn. He earned All-SEC honors each of the next 2 seasons as he racked up over 1,100 yards of offense each year and 10 touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022.
Bigsby finished his college career with an impressive 3,354 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns in 3 seasons before leaving school early for the NFL. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and the Jaguars selected him in the third round (No. 88 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein actually predicted Bigsby might shine in a “Dynamic Duo” sort of backfield in the NFL in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Fumbling has been a concern in the past, and he might not be much help on third downs or special teams,” Zierlein wrote in 2023. “His size, creativity and quickness could create an opportunity for teams to pair Bigsby with another back to form an effective tandem in a zone-scheme rushing attack.”
Eagles Backfield Could Be Moveable Object
Shipley was effective in a backup role to Barkley against the Cowboys with 3 carries for 26 yards but was forced to leave the game with a rib injury — he might not be right physically to play in Week 2 against the Chiefs.
Dillon, a free agent signee, wasn’t effective awhen he had the ball with 3 carries for 10 yards — he just might not be the right fight.
Enter Bigsby, who could thrive in his first chance playing for a competent NFL franchise. The Jaguars were 13-21 over his first 2 seasons, including a 4-13 record in 2024.
“The eagles running back room has to be the best in the league right?” X user Malibu wrote on his official account following the trade.
“To those who don’t know… Tank Bigsby is legit,” X user Rob Hodge wrote. “Only 24 years old… Rushed for 766 yards and 7 TD’s last season. Perfect RB2…”
“Tank Bigsby is a legit good running back” SB Nation’s Will Rucker wrote on his official account. “Howie is always going to strike when he feels he can get value. This is your RB2a
