The Los Angeles Rams made the biggest splash of any NFL team before this season's trade deadline, adding pass rusher Von Miller via a November 1 trade with the Denver Broncos then signing wide receiver Odell Beckham yesterday after his time with the Cleveland Browns came to a tumultuous end. It's very possible that the first team to see both of them in a Rams uniform will be the San Francisco 49ers, who host the Rams for Monday Night Football on November 15.

It's not a sure thing that both Beckham and Miller will play, and if they do play, it's uncertain how many snaps they'll get. Miller is still fighting back from a sprained ankle he sustained in a game against the Browns on October 21, while Beckham will still be getting his feet wet having been with his new team for less than a week. But the 49ers will be planning for both, which doesn't make their task this week any easier.


"I had so many problems before (the addition of Beckham)," 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said in a media session Thursday. "Now there's extra problems."

Beckham will at the very least give the Rams some needed receiver depth to do with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson. All eyes will be on him Monday night to see how he performs after never quite fitting in with the Browns, but chances are he won't do too much to cut into what the Rams do with Kupp and Woods, at least not right away. Ryans believes his defense will come out okay if they do what he expects of them, regardless of who's on the other side of the ball.

"Everyone knows OBJ's a great player," Ryans said. "He's been a great player in this league for a long time. The Rams already presented us with a ton of problems with the guys they had -- a pretty good team already. For them to add OBJ is really a good add for them and a big challenge for us. But at the end of the day, players got to go make players. We're up for the challenge. We have to go out to just play our game and make plays. It doesn't really who lines up across from us. It's all about our mindset, our mentality going against these guys. We've just got to be ready to go work, play our technique, play with great effort, play together, and we'll be fine."

As for Miller, he could play a much larger role than Beckham if he's cleared to play, which is something that offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is trying to get ready for.

"Expecting to see a ton of him," McDaniel said Thursday. "They got him for a reason. I'm sure if he's healthy they're going to unleash him in full force."


Adding to the challenge is the fact there isn't any film of Miller as Ram, but McDaniel will be able to make do.

"It is odd when you're preparing for a defensive player who isn't on tape at all in the middle of a season, but it's not uncharted," McDaniel said. "It happens every single year game one, especially when players don't play in the preseason."

49ers defensive end Nick Bosa also offered his impressions on Miller Thursday, thinking back to when he had an up-close look at the future Hall of Fame pass rusher in 2019.

"I remember when we joint practiced with them in my rookie year," Bosa said. "Just watching how he rushes and how everything is just so natural the way he moves and never telegraphs everything. He might have a plan in mind, but it's not a two-step this, do that. It's just rush, see what's in front of me, and react. Obviously his movement skills are better than everybody's. He's really good."

Perhaps the 49ers will see a lot of Beckham and Miller on Monday night, or perhaps they won't see that much at all. They'll have their hands full either way, as they make their next attempt in breaking a home losing streak that dates back to October 18, 2020 -- which also came against the Rams.

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