Tag: Justin Lawler

Titans waive four players ahead of second cutdown day

The Titans waived four players ahead of the second cutdown day on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans parted ways with four players on Monday, the day before the team has to trim its roster down to 80 players.

The four players getting the boot are outside linebacker Justin Lawler, wide receiver Terry Godwin, defensive back Shyheim Carter and cornerback Shakur Brown. Brown and Carter were waived with injury designations.

The injury to Brown is extra unfortunate, as the former USFL standout had a great shot to make the roster after showing out upon arriving in Nashville. In fact, we had him on our latest 53-man roster projection before news of him being waived came out.

With the moves, the Titans’ roster now sits at 81 players, which means they have one more player to cut. Rosters must be trimmed down by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

After their preseason Week 2 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night, the Titans will be back on the practice field on Monday.

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Justin Lawler could play Sunday following surgery on broken hand

Justin Lawler broke his hand against the Colts on Sunday but he may not miss any time, Sean McVay says.

The Los Angeles Rams’ outside linebacker depth took a hit on Sunday when Justin Lawler suffered a broken hand in the second game of the season. He’s currently on the practice squad, but he’s been elevated to the active roster in each of the first two weeks.

Fortunately, Lawler may not have to miss any time with the injury. Sean McVay told reporters that Lawler could play with a cast on his hand against the Buccaneers on Sunday after having surgery on Monday – if the Rams choose to promote him from the practice squad again.

“With Lawler, he’s having hand surgery today, but he might be able to play this week,” McVay said. “He is a guy that we’ve flexed him up from our practice squad each of the last two weeks, but he’s going to have surgery today on that hand. He’ll be able to play if pain subsides with the cast moving forward, if that’s the direction that we go with our 48 on gameday.”

Lawler only played three snaps in the win over the Colts but he provides important depth at a key position. The Rams only have Leonard Floyd, Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis on the active roster right now with Chris Garrett on COVID-19 reserve and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve.

McVay said Garrett could potentially be cleared from COVID-19 reserve this week, though after missing two-plus weeks, he might need time to get up to speed before being active on game day.

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Justin Lawler broke his hand in win vs. Colts

Justin Lawler suffered a broken hand in the Rams’ win over the Colts, a big blow to the defense.

In addition to losing Darrell Henderson Jr. to a rib injury, the Los Angeles Rams suffered another major injury with Justin Lawler going down. Sean McVay said after the 27-24 win that Lawler broke his hand against the Colts.

He didn’t elaborate further on the injury, but obviously that’s a serious injury and could land Lawler on injured reserve. For a team that’s already lacking depth at outside linebacker, losing Lawler hurts.

Chris Garrett and Terrell Lewis will need to step up opposite Leonard Floyd behind Justin Hollins. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who is on injured reserve, can return in Week 4 after missing three games.

Lawler has missed significant time in his career due to injury, so this one hurts the young pass rusher.

McVay didn’t have an update on the severity of Henderson’s rib injury, but we could get further clarity on either Monday or Wednesday when the coach meets with reporters again.

Rams promote OLB Justin Lawler, DB Tyler Hall from practice squad for Week 1

Justin Lawler will have a chance to contribute on Sunday night against the Bears, as will Tyler Hall.

With Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve and there only being four outside linebackers on the active roster, the Rams could use some depth at edge rusher for Week 1 against the Bears. They’re adding some help by promoting Justin Lawler from the practice squad for this game, giving Los Angeles another pass rusher to utilize.

Additionally, the Rams activated DB Tyler Hall from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

Lawler and Hall will not take up spots on the 53-man roster and will revert to the practice squad after Sunday’s game. Teams can promote up to two players from the practice squad each week, allowing them to play in a game before going back down to the practice squad.

Lawler was close to making the 53-man roster but was edged out by seventh-round rookie Chris Garrett, who the Rams were probably afraid would get claimed off waivers if he was cut. Lawler will likely back up Leonard Floyd on the left side of the defense, which is where he played in the preseason.

Hall adds secondary depth behind Jalen Ramsey Darious Williams, David Long Jr. and Robert Rochell. He can also play safety, so his versatility will be value, as will his special teams ability.

Rams’ Justin Lawler brought to tears after standing out in first game since Super Bowl LIII

Justin Lawler missed the 2019 and 2020 seasons due to injuries, but he shined in his first game back on Saturday night.

It may have only been Week 1 of the preseason, but Saturday night was a big deal for Rams edge rusher Justin Lawler. It was his first game since the 2018 season, missing each of the last two seasons – including the preseason – due to foot injuries.

Not only was he finally able to get back on the field for his first game since Super Bowl LIII when he played two defensive snaps and 17 on special teams, but he was an absolute standout for the Rams.

After the game, he was brought to tears when discussing his comeback and return to the field. He talked about the support he received from Sean McVay, Les Snead and his wife, which got him emotional because the last two years have been difficult for him.

“I’ve been through a long road with the injuries, my foot breaking three times. Sean and Les, gracious enough this offseason to bring me back. Couldn’t be more grateful. It just brings me to tears. Doing what I love to do after what I’ve gone through, it’s a big deal to me and my family, it’s just good to be out playing football. I love playing football and it’s what I enjoy doing, so, grateful.”

Johnny Hekker and Xavier Jones showed Lawler support on Twitter after the game, as well, with these messages for the young pass rusher.

Lawler had five tackles, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits in the Rams’ 13-6 loss to the Chargers, but his impact was felt well beyond the box score, too. He generated pressure a few times and nearly got home for a couple of sacks, slipping through the offensive line consistently.

“You could feel him. It was one of those deals where he was making his presence felt,” McVay said after the game. “I thought there were a couple of holding calls he could have drawn as well, early on in the game. But it was great to have Justin Lawler out there for us. He’s had some unfortunate injuries over the last couple of years. You definitely felt his presence. I thought he did a nice job.”

Lawler hasn’t yet locked up a spot on the team, but with this performance and the way he’s played in practice, he’s inching closer to doing exactly that.

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Justin Lawler likely locked up roster spot with dominant performance vs. Chargers

Justin Lawler was the best player on the field Saturday night, likely locking up a roster spot.

The Rams’ outside linebacker competition has mostly been about Justin Hollins, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Terrell Lewis, with Leonard Floyd locked in as a starter on the other side. Not much has been made about Justin Lawler, but he announced himself on Saturday night against the Chargers with an absolutely dominant performance.

He was clearly the best player on the field, finding his way to the football on seemingly every play during the first two Chargers drives.

In the first quarter alone, he had four tackles, a tackle for a loss, two quarterback hits and a few pressures, making his way into the backfield consistently. He lined up as the left outside linebacker, which is where Floyd plays, and he looked every bit like someone who should stick on the regular-season roster.

The Rams didn’t leave him out there for very long, which says a lot about his standing on the defensive depth chart. Sean McVay and Raheem Morris saw enough after a little more than a quarter, pulling him before halftime.

It’s very possible he did enough against the Chargers to solidify his place on the 53-man roster. He had already been trending up coming into this game, and it’s easy to see why the coaching staff likes him as a backup to Floyd.

He finished the night with five tackles, two QB hits and a tackle for loss, coming close to sacking the quarterback a couple of times. And while stats are important, they don’t tell the whole story. Lawler played even better than the box score indicates.

Hollins, Okoronkwo and Lewis (when healthy) will still battle it out on the other side, but Lawler might just be safe from being cut this season. He’ll try to build on this performance next week against the Raiders, but he doesn’t have much more to prove.