Tag: Buddy Howell

Pending free agents on Super Bowl LVI teams for Titans to consider

A look at some players from both Super Bowl LVI teams the Titans could consider in free agency.

While the Tennessee Titans can’t officially sign anyone until the new league year begins on March 16, I’m certain a list of players to target in free agency is being formed internally.

On Sunday, the 2021 season will officially come to a conclusion with the Super Bowl between the Cincinnati Bengal and Los Angeles Rams.

After that, the proverbial wheel in motion begins with the NFL Combine, the start of free agency, the NFL draft, and then organized team activities — all leading up to next year’s training camp.

The Titans have several key free agents to re-sign this offseason, including center Ben Jones and outside linebacker Harold Landry. Tennessee may have to get creative to retain both thanks to their being over the cap to start the offseason.

That said, several players rostered on the Bengals and Rams ahead of Super Bowl LVI could be realistic targets once the free agency period opens. Here’s a look at some of them.

Rams place Buddy Howell on IR, promote Mekhi Sargent and Brandon Powell

The Rams placed Buddy Howell on IR and activated Mekhi Sargent and Brandon Powell from the practice squad.

The Los Angeles Rams have been ailing at the running back position all season, and their injury woes continue to ravage their depth in the backfield. Ahead of Sunday’s game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Rams have placed Buddy Howell on injured reserve, also activating Mekhi Sargent and Brandon Powell from the practice squad.

With Howell headed to injured reserve, he’ll miss at least the next three games. Besides Howell, Raymond Calais, Xavier Jones, and Jake Funk suffered various injuries that will keep them sidelined until 2022.

Also, it remains to be seen if Cam Akers can suit up this season due to an Achilles tear he suffered before training camp. So there’s a legitimate chance Los Angeles will have lost five running backs to season-ending injuries.

Given the team’s moves on Saturday, it’s apparent that Darrell Henderson Jr. — who is dealing with a thigh injury — is in real jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Sony Michel could draw the start this week if Henderson is unable to play.

Sargent could be the No. 2 running back on the depth chart on Sunday if Henderson is inactive. Throughout the season, Sargent has logged only 15 total snaps (13 on special teams, 2 on offense), with all of them coming with the Tennessee Titans.

As the Rams prepare to make a strong push in the latter part of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them search free agency for more depth at running back sometime in the near future.

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.

 

Report: Rams sign RB Buddy Howell to active roster

It didn’t take long for the Rams to find Jake Funk’s replacement, signing Buddy Howell to the active roster.

Sean McVay told reporters Monday that Jake Funk tore his hamstring against the Giants and will miss the rest of the season. The Rams had just two other running backs on the 53-man roster, but they didn’t waste much time filling Funk’s spot.

According to Houston reporter Aaron Wilson, the Rams are signing Buddy Howell to the active roster from their practice squad. The move won’t be made official until Los Angeles places Funk on injured reserve to create a roster spot, but Howell is on his way to being promoted.

The Rams signed Howell to their practice squad in September, just before Week 1. He’s remained there ever since, providing the Rams with running back depth if needed behind Darrell Henderson Jr., Sony Michel and Funk. The Rams promoted him to the game-day roster in Weeks 3 and 4, but he was limited to only playing special teams.

Howell is a bigger back, standing 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, now in his fourth season. He has 21 career carries for 74 yards, all with his former team, the Texans.

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RB Buddy Howell reacts to the Texans’ release: ‘No hard feelings, at all’

Running back Buddy Howell says that he doesn’t have any hard feelings towards the Houston Texans after he was informed of his release.

The Houston Texans have informed running back Buddy Howell of his release as the club seeks to finalize their 53-man roster by 3:00 p.m. on Aug. 31.

Howell took the news well and expressed his appreciation for the fans.

“It wasn’t no surprise to me,” Howell said via Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. “I knew somebody had to go. It is what it is when they load up at a position. I appreciate the fans for embracing me and the community. No hard feelings, at all.”

Howell produced 74 yards on 21 carries and caught a pass for three yards in his 45 career games with Houston. The former Miami Dolphins 2018 undrafted free agent predominantly played special teams for Houston with 795 special teams snaps versus 86 offensive snaps over his three seasons with the Texans.

The Texans did load up at running back with the signing of Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram, and Rex Burkhead in the offseason, along with David Johnson and Scottie Phillips already being on the roster.

5 takeaways from Texans training camp Day 14

The Houston Texans held their 14th day of training camp. Here are some takeaways from practice at Houston Methodist Training Center.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans held their 12th practice on the 14th day of camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. After making his return on Monday, head coach David Culley said Deshaun Watson is unlikely to play in the Texans preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

“Well, as I said before — it’s day-to-day with him,” Culley said prior to Tuesday’s practice. “He’d been out for a while, and he was back today. We’re just taking it day-to-day, as we have been from the start of training camp.”

Here are five observations from the Texans’ practice.

Texans re-sign RB Buddy Howell to 1-year contract

The Houston Texans have re-signed running back Buddy Howell to a one-year contract.

The Houston Texans have brought back running back Buddy Howell on a one-year contract.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the total value of the contract is $1.8 million.

The contract will include a $1 million base salary and a $200,000 signing bonus. Howell’s deal also accounts for up to $300,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.

If the Texans were to tender the former 2018 undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic as a restricted free agent, his value would be $2.133 million. Clearly re-signing Howell was the cheaper option the salary cap-strapped Texans would take.

The former Miami Dolphin has played 45 games with the Texans, taking 21 carries for 74 yards and catching one pass for three yards. Howell’s true value has been on special teams, where he has played 795 snaps compared to 86 on offense.

Texans need not be bashful about giving RB Buddy Howell more carries

The Houston Texans have a running back in Buddy Howell that needs to be evaluate as a runner in the last three games of the season.

The Houston Texans’ 2020 season is a lost cause with three games to go. They cannot make the playoffs, and they are set to finish with their second losing record since selection Deshaun Watson in Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Even though the Texans can’t add to their legacy relative to the postseason, they can make determinations as to what they have on their roster.

One player that deserves consideration is running back Buddy Howell, who has been a tremendous special teamer for the Texans since joining the team in 2018. The former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic has just 16 carries for 52 yards and a catch for three yards in his career.

Houston already knows what it has in running backs David Johnson and Duke Johnson. However, Howell has toiled away playing special teams and seeing other running backs such as Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue, D’Onta Foreman, Carlos Hyde, and Taiwan Jones get their chances in the past three seasons. Given that Howell is in the last year of his rookie contract with the Texans, there wouldn’t be better time to see what Howell can offer in the final three games.

Against the Chicago Bears amid the 36-7 loss at Soldier Field, Howell tallied 11 carries for 42 yards, and that was also the game where he logged his only career catch to date. The 6-1, 215-pound bruiser provided a burst up the middle and contact that Texans runners have lacked in 2020.

Playing Howell also gives the 24-year-old a chance to put more of his body of work on film, an opportunity he missed out on with there being zero preseason games in 2020. As Howell enters free agency, having evidence on tape of what he could bring to a backfield, whether in Houston or elsewhere, would be beneficial to helping him earn that second contract.

The Texans have nothing to lose playing Howell.

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Texans TE Jordan Akins out against the Titans in Week 6

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Akins is out against the Tennessee Titans as his concussion and ankle injury lingers.

The Houston Texans announced tight end Jordan Akins will not be making the trip with the team to Nashville for the Week 6 bout with the Tennessee Titans.

As such, the former 2018 third-round pick has been declared out. Akins had been limited in practice for the past two weeks with an ankle injury and a concussion. Akins was not available in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which the Texans won 30-14.

“He made a little progress,” interim coach Romeo Crennel told reporters Friday. “We’ll probably wait until game time to make a determination on him.”

The progress wasn’t enough as Akins misses his second game in a row after having never missed a game through his first two seasons.

Other Texans declared out for the game were running back Buddy Howell (hamstring) and inside linebacker Peter Kalambayi (hamstring).

What is the Texans’ plan at running back behind David Johnson, Duke Johnson?

The Houston Texans have options at running back behind David Johnson and Duke Johnson, and the depth will play itself out throughout August.

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The Houston Texans believe they have two three-down running backs in David Johnson and Duke Johnson.

What’s the plan after that?

According to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, fullback Cullen Gillaspia, a 2019 seventh-round pick from Texas A&M who excelled at special teams as a rookie, is developing a larger role in the team’s offense.

“You’ve got guys like Cullen Gillaspia that’s kind of a guy that is a core special teams player but can do a lot of things from the backfield,” O’Brien said.

Gillaspia played all 16 games for Houston last season, recording six special teams tackles. In fact, the former 12th Man for the Aggies played 274 special teams snaps compared to just 13 snaps on offense.

The Texans haven’t exactly been a fullback heavy team under O’Brien. Jay Prosch, who played from 2014-17, tallied 16 touches for 103 yards in his four seasons with the club.

Karan Higdon, who returns after his rookie season as an undrafted free agent from Michigan, is battling with practice-squadder Buddy Howell for an opening on the final roster. The Texans are expected to carry three running backs as they did last season with Taiwan Jones playing the role of special teams ace.

While O’Brien has acknowledged 2020 will be a difficult season for rookies and younger players to make rosters, undrafted running back Scottie Phillips from Ole Miss managed to get mentioned as it related to the running back depth.

“You’ve got Scottie Phillips out there, an undrafted guy who’s gotten better and better every day,” O’Brien said. “So in some ways it’s very competitive relative to the 53.”

The Texans know who their front line starters are in David Johnson and Duke Johnson. The depth behind the two running backs is a position battle that will work itself out as the extended training camp rolls on through the rest of August.

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