Micah Kiser shows well in first professional start

In Sunday’s primetime NFL game, former Virginia All-American and Los Angeles Rams inside linebacker Micah Kiser recorded seven tackles (six solo) while playing all 72 defensive snaps. Kiser, who was making his first professional start yesterday, had had just four total tackles in his career leading up to yesterday’s game.

It was a welcome outing for a player whose journey in the NFL has been anything but straightforward. After appearing modestly for the Super Bowl-bound Rams in his rookie season, Kiser, a projected starter in 2019, was sidelined for all of last season when he tore his left pectoral muscle during a preseason game. Months of intense rehabbing and preparation would follow.

“Just a regular tackle, and [...] everything just ripped off the pec,” Kiser told the media in late August. “God gave me that challenge and I have been working to get over it. A lot of people in this organization have really helped me with that. I’m just happy to be back and just thankful for this opportunity.”

Eventually, those challenges would help push Kiser to an inspiring summer camp and the starting nod in Week One - just where he had expected to be some twelve months ago. From there, the Baltimore native took full advantage.

Despite playing well, there is still room for improvement for the 2017 Campbell Trophy winner. Kiser was listed as missing five tackles, showing some rust coming off of the injury and a strange off-season caused by the pandemic.

Let’s hope this is the first of many impact games for Kiser as he continues his bounce-back season.