Nate Landman wears the Zimbabwe flag on his helmet to honor his native country, and despite spending his formative years in Danville, Calif., hasn't spent much time in Los Angeles.
But for the former Atlanta Falcons linebacker who signed with the Rams on Tuesday, leaving Atlanta to head West is "kind of like a homecoming," he said Wednesday.
"A lot of my friends from high school moved down here and took jobs down here," Landman said. "I'm excited to be back on the west coast and see those guys. My parents are a short flight away and all my siblings live either in California or Nevada.
"It's just a cool opportunity for me and my family to spend more time together and kind of enjoy this new chapter."
Landman has a similarly indirect knowledge of the Rams' defense and culture. Last offseason, several coaches migrated from Los Angeles to Atlanta, including then-Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and assistant Jimmy Lake.
Morris became Atlanta's head coach, and he brought Lake with him as the team's defensive coordinator. The Falcons fired Lake after the season, and a month and a half later, the Rams announced Lake rejoined their staff as a senior defensive assistant.
Toss in the Rams' success -- they've made the playoffs six of the past eight years -- and Landman's free agency choice was simple.
"For me, a lot of things went into it," Landman said. "One is the success of this program. Two, I'm a West Coast kid. Growing up in California and coming back home was a clear choice. Then, I built a pretty strong relationship last year with Jimmy Lake.
"All those things combined allowed for an easy decision. Just super excited to be here, grateful for the opportunity and excited to get rolling."
Landman acknowledged the Rams' defense won't be exactly the same as Atlanta's, but he believes he has at least a little bit of a head start in knowing the system as a result of his time with Morris and Lake.
"There’s going to be differences for sure," Landman said. "Everybody's got their own flavor. I’m excited to have some familiarity with the defense, knowing how we want to attack offenses, some of the scheme stuff and some of the verbiage.
"I think that'll make an easy transition for me coming from a similar scheme and having someone like Jimmy Lake that I have a relationship with."
The Falcons had the chance to retain the 26-year-old Landman, who recorded 192 tackles, seven tackles for loss and six forced fumbles while starting 23 games over the past two seasons.
Landman was a restricted free agent, but the Falcons didn't tender him, which would've been a $3 million commitment. As such, the former University of Colorado standout entered unrestricted free agency, where he found the Rams.
Now, Landman, who grew up playing rugby but fell in love with football as a 7-year-old in northern California, will continue stoking the flames of his football fire out West.
"(Football) is where I made all my friends. It's where my true personality came out," Landman said. "I'm a pretty calm guy outside football, but when I step in between those two lines your attitude kind of changes. It was just the perfect fit sport for me, and I just had success with it as a kid, in high school.
"The love for the game has just continued to grow each year and it still continues too."
Landman started 14 of 16 appearances during the 2023 season, replacing injured starter Troy Andersen. He and Andersen were set to split snaps in 2024, but both players battled injuries. Landman played in 13 games with nine starts, collecting 81 tackles, no tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Landman hopes to carry the same qualities that earned him a spot on the Falcons' roster and, ultimately, into starting lineup with him to Los Angeles.
"I think first and foremost leadership qualities," Landman said. "I'm a super vocal guy on the field. I’m super passionate about this game. I love this game. Football is a violent sport and I love the physicality of it, especially as a middle linebacker. You have to set the tone.
"I think my best attributes are physicality and leadership. I'm excited to bring that to this defense and to this team to help us win games ultimately."
The Falcons went 7-10 in Landman's first two seasons and 8-9 in his last. He enters the Rams' locker room with a career record of 22-29 and without postseason experience.
Landman hopes 2025 will be different -- and he believes it will be, citing Rams head coach Sean McVay's "awesome" reputation and the rest of Los Angeles's offseason moves.
"You can tell he really relates to his guys, and he gets the best out of his guys," Landman said. "I'm super excited for him to give me this opportunity and I could tell they're excited too. It's going to be a special year with the pieces they're adding.
"With a winning coach like that and the success that he has had, it's exciting for a free agent player to come in under that sort of leadership."
The Falcons have a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Ulbrich, who spent the past four years in the same role with the New York Jets, coupled with a 12-game stint as interim head coach in 2024.
Ulbrich is tasked with rebuilding a unit that finished No. 15 in run defense, No. 22 in pass defense, No. 23 in total defense, No. 23 in scoring and No. 31 in sacks.
Landman won't be part of that prospective turnaround -- but he may get a chance to witness it in person, as the Rams will face the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the 2025 season.
And for Landman, that game -- with the date still yet to be announced -- will be a different type of homecoming.