The Rams added more veteran support to their defense on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with outside linebacker Clay Matthews.
Matthews joins the defending NFC Champions after spending each of his 10 NFL seasons as a Packer. Adding to the the Los Angeles linebackers corps has been on the to-do list for general manager Les Snead and the Rams front office since the final whistles blew in Atlanta last month. Bringing Matthews to the West Coast caps a series of moves at the position, following the re-signing of outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. and release of linebacker Mark Barron, who signed a deal with the Steelers on Tuesday.
Here's three things to know about defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' newest weapon:
1. Return to the Coliseum
Matthews will take the home field with familiarity in 2019 as a former USC Trojan.
The All-Pro rocked the Trojan gold and cardinal from 2004-2008 and was a member of the USC scout team as a redshirt, walk-on participant for the 2004 National Championship run. Matthews remained a walk-on sophomore in his second season, before working his way through special teams duties, to an eventual starting spot at a hybrid-linebacker position in his senior season.
He won three Pac 10 titles under head coach Pete Carroll before he was drafted at No. 26 in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Matthews is a native of Northridge, Calif., and attended Agoura High School on the edge of Los Angeles County, just 10 miles from the Rams practice facility in Thousand Oaks.
2. Sack City
Snead will ink a proven pass rusher in Matthews, who's logged 83.5 career sacks, putting him at No. 7 among all active players. The pass rusher recorded at least 5.0 sacks and one forced fumble in eight of his decade's worth of NFL seasons.
The Rams' defense now features two of the league's most decorated pass rushers. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald will line up alongside Matthews with 59.5 sacks under his belt — No. 21 among all active players.
3. Super Bowl Champ
The Rams are getting another Super Bowl champion in Matthews, who racked up three tackles, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble in Green Bay's 31-25 win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Matthews recorded a career-high 13.5 sacks in his sophomore season and Super Bowl run, earning him All-Pro honors.
As it stands, the Rams roster now features a pair of Super Bowl champions in Matthews and cornerback Aqib Talib, who won Super Bowl 50.
