LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nate Landman is shaping up to be exactly what the Los Angeles Rams want at inside linebacker.
He has settled in well as an effective communicator and good teammate and looks like a steady contributor on the field.
The 26-year-old Landman has been one of the standouts of training camp for the Rams after signing a one-year contract for the veteran minimum salary in March, the kind of cost-effective find at the position that has become something of a trademark during Sean McVay’s head coaching tenure in Los Angeles.
“I think there’s some players that maybe the rest of the league doesn’t value, that we value, and we kind of know about inside,” McVay said. “I think we’ve had some success with guys that are unheralded.”
Outside of one season with six-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner in the middle of the defense in 2022, the Rams in McVay’s eight-plus years have tended to employ low-cost options, typically developed from within the organization. That was the case a year ago when undrafted free agent Omar Speights emerged in camp, making it palatable to trade starter Ernest Jones to the Tennessee Titans in the preseason.
Jones was a third-round pick of the Rams in 2021 and quickly emerged as a productive player, starting 33 games in three seasons and making 320 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss and three interceptions. But with potential contract discontent looming for Jones last summer and a possible replacement in Speights emerging, Los Angeles chose to move on rather than commit the money Jones was seeking.
The Rams made it through last season with Speights and veterans Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder manning the inside linebacker spots. Rozeboom signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract to join the Carolina Panthers in free agency after leading the Rams with 135 total tackles, which set the stage for Landman’s arrival.
Landman already had familiarity with some elements of the Rams’ defensive structure from his time playing for the Atlanta Falcons. Landman worked last season under then-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who is now a senior defensive assistant for Los Angeles, and head coach Raheem Morris.
“He practices the right way, a great communicator, fantastic teammate,” safety Quentin Lake said of Landman. “Great addition for us, and I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do during the season as well.”
Landman started 23 games the past two seasons for the Falcons, making 191 tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception in that span. He will be operating behind a formidable defensive line, which includes five top-90 picks from the past three drafts and key free agent addition Poona Ford, meaning Landman should be in position to make plays.
It didn’t take long for Landman to make an impression, delivering several audibly impressive hits when the Rams started working in pads.
“You can hear it, you can feel it,” McVay said. “He’s one of those guys.”
What has also stood out is Landman’s knack for knocking the ball loose, drawing comparisons to defensive back Charles Tillman and his “peanut punch” to force fumbles. Landman said his proficiency comes from being able to read the situation, especially because he is more adept at using his right hand to attack the ballcarrier.
“Really, it’s knowing when your opportunity is to go attack the football without sacrificing the integrity of the tackle,” Landman said.
Working effectively alongside Speights, whom McVay expects to make significant improvements in his second season, Landman puts the Rams in position to have another efficient starting pair at inside linebacker.
“He’s a glue guy,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “He can organize the whole defense, he can put a lot on his plate, he’s always in the right spot, and you just feel how physical he is.”
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Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman (53) celebrates after a tackle with Jared Verse (8) during the NFL football team's training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
ATLANTA (AP) — Three inmates who escaped from a jail east of Atlanta, including a murder suspect, commandeered a terrified Lyft driver's car to reach south Florida before she was rescued and they were captured, according to details revealed in court records.
The driver told FBI agents that the men used a fake name to order the ride, put a rope around her neck from behind her, dragged her into the backseat and threatened to kill her, according to a court affidavit filed late Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press.
The inmates were able to “compromise” a portion of a cell inside the DeKalb County Jail to make their escape, said DeKalb County Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins. He didn't provide more specifics because jailers don't want other inmates to know the facility's weaknesses.
“We repaired the area that was compromised, and we’re looking at other areas that are similar to that to fortify them to make sure that they are not compromised in the same manner,” Atkins said at a Tuesday news conference.
DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox described the jail as an “aging facility that’s deteriorating right before our eyes.” The jail is in Decatur, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta.
The escape was discovered early Monday during a routine security check, authorities said. After jailers realized the three were gone, investigators listened to recordings of conversations they'd had on recorded phone lines. They learned that one of the inmates had contacted people on the outside who helped them evade capture after the escape, U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said.
The inmates were picked up by an unnamed man and taken to one of their girlfriends’ homes, Brown said. Then, a Lyft ride was ordered using a fake, female name.
Officers tracked the car as it traveled to south Florida with the aid of license plate readers, devices that can alert law enforcement to the locations of wanted vehicles. When they caught up with the car and tried to stop it, one of the inmates jumped out and ran but was arrested along with a second inmate, according to a court affidavit.
Investigators also learned that the men used the Lyft driver's credit card for a short-term rental of a home in Miramar, Florida, where officers apprehended the third inmate and rescued the driver, court records state.
The driver told investigators that she was held in the car for six to 10 hours as they tried to gain access to her phone and online banking records. After trying to escape once, she endured “increased threats of being shot, raped, and tortured,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit.
“As you can imagine, the Lyft driver is very traumatized by this,” Brown said.
All three inmates were charged with kidnapping as well as the escape, according to criminal complaints.
A lawyer with the Federal Public Defender's Office in Fort Lauderdale appointed to represent one of the men, 24-year-old Stevenson Charles, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday evening, nor did a Miami attorney representing a second, Naod Yohannes, 25. There was no lawyer listed in court records for the third, Yusuf Minor, 31.
Charles was being held before the escape on charges including murder and armed robbery. The other two faced charges including armed robbery and arson.
The sheriff’s office had warned that the men might be armed and were considered dangerous after their escape.
Before they were captured, federal authorities had issued particularly strong warnings advising the citizens to be wary of Charles, who has had several run-ins with law officers in Georgia and Florida. He had been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and bank robbery, a federal agent wrote in a Monday affidavit regarding the recent jail escape.
After being sentenced, the agent wrote, Charles was turned over to DeKalb County authorities on Dec. 5 to face the murder charge, details of which were not immediately available.
In one of multiple cases involving Charles in South Florida, he is accused of meeting a man through the Grindr online dating application and then pulling a gun on him when they met in person at a Miami residence in 2022. Charles then drove the man to various Miami area banks, withdrawing money from the victim’s accounts, court records show.
DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox speaks to journalists Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, during a news conference in Decatur, Ga., about the escaped inmates who were captured late Monday. (Ben Gray /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox speaks to journalists Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, during a news conference in Decatur, Ga., about the escaped inmates who were captured late Monday. (Ben Gray /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown speaks to journalists Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, during a press conference in Decatur, Ga., about the escaped inmates who were captured late Monday. (Ben Gray /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
