Los Angeles Rams sign veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks to practice squad
The Los Angeles Rams have added a former All-Pro to the linebacker room, signing Eric Kendricks to the practice squad on Tuesday. The 34-year-old has been a free agent for the whole of the 2026 season. He now has a path back onto a game-day roster, either through a weekly elevation or a later move onto the 53-man roster.
What the Los Angeles Rams announced
Los Angeles confirmed the move in a team roster note: “Signed Practice Squad Veteran ILB Eric Kendricks.”
Kendricks is in his 12th National Football League season and joins his fifth club. The signing does not put him in uniform this week by itself. Practice-squad players can be elevated a limited number of times before a team must decide whether to sign them to the active roster. That is the same route Kendricks took late in 2025, when the San Francisco 49ers added him in November and brought him up in December.
How Eric Kendricks finished 2025 with the San Francisco 49ers
Eric Kendricks was the emergency option while the San Francisco 49ers worked through injuries at linebacker, including the absence of Fred Warner. He played three regular-season games and made one start, then started both of San Francisco’s postseason games, including the win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
He finished those two playoff games with 19 tackles, three of them for a loss. It was a short sample, but it showed he could still fill a starting role in January.
A career that started in Minnesota
The University of California, Los Angeles product was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and spent his first eight seasons there. He was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection in 2019.
He played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 and for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, when he started 15 games, made 138 tackles, intercepted two passes, and forced three fumbles. Across 11 seasons, he has 1,180 tackles, 11 interceptions, and eight forced fumbles in 150 games. Born in Clovis, California, he is staying in his home state for Year 12.
Why the Los Angeles Rams linebacker room needed help
The Los Angeles Rams are 2-2 and already thin on the second level. Omar Speights left the Week 1 game with a hip issue, though he was later cleared. Nate Landman, signed to a three-year, $22 million deal, has been managing a shoulder problem that limited him in practice earlier this season. The club has not looked fully settled with either player, and the competition is still open.
Los Angeles have also been dealing with injuries elsewhere on defense, including Myles Garrett and a back issue that kept Aaron out of the most recent game. Kendricks is not a fix for the front, but he gives the staff a veteran who has already played through a mid-season call-up.
Looking ahead
Eric Kendricks still has to earn a game-day spot. If the Los Angeles Rams like what they see in practice, an elevation could come quickly, the same way it did with the San Francisco 49ers a year ago. Until then, he is depth with a resume, not a starter.
