St. Louis Rams Closing Evaluations: What Grades Do the Linebackers Receive?

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Jo-Lonn Dunbar: After a great first season with the Rams in 2012, Dunbar had another down season in 2014. It’s possible that the 29-year-old struggles to deal with off-the-field adversity while on the field; there was a notable drop-off in his performance after he returned from a four-game suspension for a failed drug test in 2013, and after an arrest right before the start of training camp this year, Dunbar didn’t seem to recover.

Dunbar had just 36 tackles this season, his lowest total since his 2009 campaign with the New Orleans Saints. He had no sacks. In fairness, Dunbar’s role was minimized; as the team’s strongside linebacker, he was on the field for only about 40 percent of the snaps. Though he dressed for the Rams’ Week 11 game against the Denver Broncos, he never even got on the field, and he was not in the starting lineup for five of the team’s last six games.

While Dunbar didn’t do a lot to help himself earn time with his on-field performance, there were a few other factors that were out of his control; the Rams utilized their nickel package very frequently, which takes the third linebacker off the field, and after safety Mark Barron was acquired and began to work his way into the defensive lineup in Week 10, he spent some time playing linebacker, which led to even fewer opportunities for Dunbar.

Dunbar received a -10.8 rating from Pro Football Focus for the 2014 season, which ranked him 37th out of the league’s 40 4-3 outside linebackers who played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps. In particular, the site’s evaluators were dissatisfied with Dunbar’s performance in coverage and ranked him among the league’s worst in that category.

With Dunbar’s contract expiring, his role having steadily decreased, and him getting ready to turn 30 years old this March, he’s likely on his way out after 2014. With the minimal use that the Rams had for a strongside linebacker this year, it’s very possible that they may just plug Barron into the role full-time in 2015 as they seek to find playing time for the former first-rounder.

GRADE: D

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