Tag: Brandon Powell

Brandon Powell may be more than just a returner for the Rams in 2022

Brandon Powell has become one of the best return specialists in football, but the Rams may see him as more than that this year

Brandon Powell helped solve one of the Rams’ biggest problems last year after he stepped in as their primary return specialist. It was the weakest part of the special teams unit for years, but Powell quickly became one of the best in the league at returning punts.

Including the playoffs, he returned 15 punts for 237 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown against the Vikings. He also took back 13 kickoffs for 296 yards, with a long of 65 yards and a regular-season average of 26 yards per return.

As good as he is on special teams, he could carve out a role on offense this year after playing just three offensive snaps last season. With Van Jefferson undergoing knee surgery, Sean McVay name-dropped Powell as someone who’s impressed as a slot receiver.

“Brandon Powell, we get him where he’s a returner for us, but he is a guy that he’s got a skill set,” McVay said Monday. “He’s one of those guys, a great competitor, good football player. Seen really positive things from him from the slot.”

That was the second time McVay mentioned Powell in that same press conference, saying earlier that Powell has shown he’s “capable of being not only a really good returner, but a capable receiver.”

Powell is certainly undersized at 5-foot-8, but he’s pushing 190 pounds, so it’s not as if he’s the lightest receiver around. He showed last year that he can bounce off tacklers and maintain his balance through contact, which the Rams could use on offense if Jefferson is sidelined into the regular season.

In his career, Powell has caught 23 passes for 198 yards, but the speed, quickness and catching ability are all there. He just needs an opportunity, and he might get that this summer.

Powell will be someone to watch in the preseason when the starters are held out.

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Rams, Brandon Powell agree to one-year deal

The Rams have agreed to terms with Brandon Powell on a one-year deal to give them some consistency on special teams.

The Los Angeles Rams handed out a contract extension to Matthew Stafford on Saturday, but that wasn’t the only roster move that the organization made. Even though it isn’t the most exhilarating move this offseason, the Rams are bringing back Brandon Powell on a one-year deal.

The Rams signed Powell to their practice squad in November in hopes he could provide them with a spark on special teams and depth at the wide receiver position. In Powell’s season debut in Week 13 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, he would return the opening kickoff for 65 yards.

From that moment forward, Powell helped revive a lifeless kick-return unit for the Rams that had a revolving door at the position throughout the season. Powell would finish the regular season with 208 yards on eight kick returns while also logging 133 yards and a touchdown on six punt returns.

The Florida product would translate his success from the regular season into the playoffs, totaling 192 return yards on 14 total returns. We’ve seen the Rams search for a consistent option to return kicks and punts, so retaining Powell makes sense for both sides.

After spending his first few seasons in the NFL on a few different teams, Powell may have found a long-term home in Los Angeles.

Gators tied for the most players on active Super Bowl rosters

Only LSU has as many players on the Rams’ and Bengals’ rosters.

Given Florida’s struggles over the last decade, you would be forgiven for not grouping it in with the top pro-producing programs. But the Gators have still had several former players find a lot of success at the next level, and many of those players just so happen to be on the two teams facing off in Super Bowl LVI in two weeks.

After a wild championship weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams on the latter’s home field, and there will be five Gators players on the active roster for that game, tied for the most of any school with LSU.

On the Bengals, that includes kicker Evan McPherson, a rookie fifth-round pick, who has now hit game-winning kicks in the last two rounds of the playoffs. Joining McPherson on Cincinnati’s roster is former UF offensive lineman Fred Johnson, who has been on the team since 2020, and Vernon Hargreaves III a former first-round pick who has played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans.

On the other side, the Rams have a pair of former Gators at the skill positions. Van Jefferson finished second on the team in receiving yards after Cooper Kupp, while Brandon Powell, who has bounced around the league since joining it in 2018, is the starting returner and has a punt return touchdown this season.

Florida’s football program may be in the midst of a tough time, but it continues to produce NFL players consistently, and a good number of them will be playing for the highest honor in football on Feb. 13.

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Who’s left: Tracking former Lions still playing in the postseason

Who’s left: Tracking former Detroit Lions still playing in the AFC and NFC championship round

The NFL is down to its final four. After an incredible divisional round, the championship games for the AFC and NFC will have a hard time matching the action. But several former Detroit Lions will try and help their new teams advance to the Super Bowl.

There are several former Lions still alive in the postseason. One is far more prominent than all the others combined, of course, but each team has at least a little Detroit flavor on the roster.

Rams sign Brandon Powell to active roster, bring back J.J. Koski on practice squad

The Rams signed Brandon Powell to the active roster, rewarding him for his huge contributions on punt returns

Brandon Powell has emerged as a stud in the return game for the Rams, making a huge impact since taking over that role on special teams. The Rams have been promoting him from the practice squad on game days but he’ll have a more permanent spot now.

The team announced Wednesday that Powell has been signed to the active roster, a reward for the job he’s done in the return game lately. The Rams also brought back J.J. Koski after waiving him this week, signing him to the practice squad.

The Rams had an opening on the 53-man roster after waiving Koski, so Powell took his spot.

Powell made one of the biggest plays of the season against the Vikings when he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the return. This season, he’s returned four punts for 93 yards and six kickoffs for 172 yards, including a 65-yarder.

Brandon Powell wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Brandon Powell has been awarded NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after scoring a punt return TD for the Rams in Week 16.

The Los Angeles Rams have had their fair share of miscues on special teams this season, but Brandon Powell has been a bright spot in recent weeks. Due to his outstanding efforts against the Minnesota Vikings, Powell was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 16.

Powell finished this past Sunday with two punt returns that resulted in 75 yards, including a 61-yard punt return touchdown that extended Los Angeles’ lead to 20-10 in the third quarter. This marks the first time a player from the Rams has won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week since Week 17 of the 2019 season when Johnny Hekker received the honor.

Powell is the fourth player to win player of the week honors this season, joining Aaron Donald, Taylor Rapp and Matthew Stafford (twice).

Back in Week 13, Powell was activated from the Rams’ practice squad to provide depth at the wide receiver position and potentially help on special teams. Powell would return his first kickoff for 65 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13, giving him a chance to earn a role on the team.

In his four weeks returning kicks, Powell has totaled 154 yards on five kick returns and 75 yards on three punt returns, plus a touchdown. With the struggles that the special teams unit of the Rams has had this season, it’s a welcomed sight to see Powell making the most of his opportunity.

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Brandon Powell with 61-yard punt return for Rams touchdown

The Rams’ Brandon Powell with a 61-yard punt return for a TD

The Los Angeles Rams are getting help from everywhere else as Matthew Stafford is having a rough game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Stafford has thrown three interceptions, the last allowing Minnesota to score a TD on a short drive to close within 13-10 in the third quarter.

However, special teams delivered for the Rams as Brandon Powell took a punt back 61 yards for six points as the lead grew to double digits once again in the third quarter.

This was the second punt return for a TD in NFL 2021. The other came from the Bears’ Jakeem Grant.

Watch: Brandon Powell returns punt 61 yards for TD vs. Vikings

Brandon Powell made a huge play against the Vikings, returning a punt 61 yards for a touchdown

It’s been a revolving door in the return game for the Rams this season, but Brandon Powell may have solved those woes. In the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Vikings, Powell returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown.

It was just the second punt return for a touchdown in the NFL this season, with Jakeem Grant being the only other player to do it. This is the Rams’ first non-offensive touchdown of the year, too, and it couldn’t have come at a better time with the Rams up 13-10 despite Matthew Stafford’s three interceptions.

Credit goes to the blocking in front of Powell, but the speedy returner found the right lanes and took it all the way back to the house.

Powell is the Rams’ first player to return a punt for a touchdown since September 2015 when Tavon Austin scored on a punt return.

Brandon Powell could be the answer at kick returner for the Rams

The Rams may have finally found their answer at kick returner in Brandon Powell following Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize the special teams unit for the Los Angeles Rams has been an absolute mess this season. Amidst Sunday’s rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Rams may have finally (I know, this seems like an evergreen article every week) found their answer at kick returner in Brandon Powell.

Powell only returned two kicks on Sunday against the Jaguars, but he finished with 81 return yards. On the very first play of the game, Powell returned it 65 yards to give the Rams fantastic field position and their best kick return of the season.

Due to injuries at the wide receiver position, Powell was activated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game. And with Sony Michel — who operated as a kick returner in Week 12 — starting in place of Darrell Henderson at running back, Powell was thrust into the return role for Los Angeles.

Yes, it is a small sample size to examine with Powell. That being said, all Los Angeles needs is someone who can create plays on special teams here and there without making a costly mistake.

Powell has experience returning kickoffs, taking back 17 kicks for 343 yards for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. The Florida product also returned 17 punts for 152 yards a season ago.

Before the season began, the apparent plan was for a combination of Raymond Calais and Xavier Jones to handle return duties. However, Calais and Jones suffered season-ending injuries, forcing the Rams to search elsewhere.

With Tutu Atwell being a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, the rookie was expected to grow into a key contributor on special teams. But before the second-round pick out of Louisville could ever find his footing, he would also sustain a season-ending injury, too.

For nearly the entire season, the Rams have deployed different players to return kicks. Even Cooper Kupp and Ben Skowronek have returned kicks or punts this season.

Seeing that Kupp is a vital member of the offense, it is not ideal to have him back returning punts in any situation. So with Powell showing flashes of potential in the return game, there is finally a glimpse of hope surrounding the return game of the Rams moving forward.

Rams add WR Brandon Powell and RB Mekhi Sargent to practice squad

The Los Angeles Rams added WR Brandon Powell and RB Mekhi Sargent to their practice squad amid recent moves on offense.

The Los Angeles Rams have made some roster moves recently, including the release of DeSean Jackson and the placing of Tutu Atwell on season-ending injured reserve. To give them more depth at wide receiver — and someone that can play special teams — the Rams already signed J.J. Koski from their practice squad to their active roster.

On top of that, the Rams also activated Buddy Howell from their practice squad with all of the injuries they’ve endured at the running back position. Los Angeles has made some corresponding moves due to Koski and Howell getting promoted, signing Brandon Powell and Mekhi Sargent to their practice squad.

Powell previously spent time with the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons, totaling 23 receptions, 198 yards, and two touchdowns as a wide receiver. He also had a short stint with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason before being released in training camp.

Besides his receiving numbers, Powell served as a punt/kick returner for the Falcons in 2020, accumulating 152 yards on 17 punt returns and 343 yards on 17 kick returns. Given his ability to return kicks, Powell might be a backup plan for the Rams if Koski doesn’t pan out on special teams moving forward.

Sargent is an undrafted running back out of Iowa that has spent most of this season on the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans. He’s carried the ball twice for a mere four yards in his extremely limited action with the Titans this season.