Why are Rams working out back-up linebackers?

So the Rams are working out veteran linebackers Pat Angerer and Kelvin Sheppard as Field Yates reported yesterday. The real question, with all their starters relatively healthy, is why?

For depth they currently only have 2013 free agent Darren Bates on the inside and Ray-Ray Armstrong as the back-up outside.

Unfortunately both these players struggled mightily in the preseason when asked to start.

Bates played 139 snaps on defense and graded poorly in coverage, when blitzing and, most concerningly, in run defense too. He missed over 25% of the tackles he attempted and gave up completions every time he was targeted.

If anything, Armstrong was worse, and other than the Buccaneers, Ka’Lial Glaud   (who is now a free agent) he was our lowest graded linebacker in the preseason bottoming out at -8.8 in 151 snaps.

While Sheppard’s preseason performance was below average (-2.2), Angerer played OK (+0.9) and both look better options for St. Louis at this point.