Tag: Michael hoecht

Mic’d up: Michael Hoecht debuts wild new haircut to match his unrelenting energy

Michael Hoecht always brings the energy, as you’d expect a mad man with a mohawk to

Michael Hoecht doesn’t get a lot of attention on a Rams defense that’s full of young stars. However, the fourth-year player has carved out a role for himself in Los Angeles after transitioning from defensive tackle to edge rusher in the last three seasons.

While he may not put up huge numbers or stand out in the highlight reels, he is an integral part of the defense and the Rams’ locker room. If nothing else, he always brings the energy and he now has the haircut to match it.

Hoecht was mic’d up against the Saints on Sunday and he debuted a fresh mohawk in the Big Easy. It’s a fitting look for a guy who’s always going 100 mph, as evidenced in the video below. He’s always talking on the sidelines and pumping up his teammates, even headbutting their shoulder pads a couple of times – because that’s apparently what he does.

One of the funnier moments in the video came during an exchange with Saints tight end Foster Moreau after Hoecht got shoved by another player after the whistle.

“He’s pushing late!” Hoecht said.

“Yeah, well, he is. But come on, don’t push him back,” Moreau chimed in.

“All right,” Hoecht said, acknowledging the tight end’s point.

It’s hard not to root for a player like Hoecht who seems to be the ultimate teammate and someone who’s willing to play whatever role the Rams ask him to.

Sean McVay expects ‘major leap’ from Byron Young, wants to better utilize Michael Hoecht

Sean McVay has high hopes for the Rams’ defensive front in 2024, even without Aaron Donald leading the way

There’s a lot of pressure on the Los Angeles Rams’ front seven this season following the retirement of Aaron Donald. It’s not internal pressure being put on players from the coaching staff, but rather external attention as fans and analysts wonder how the Rams will replace the future Hall of Famer.

Though there are understandably questions about what the defense will look like sans Donald, Sean McVay is excited about the young group Los Angeles has assembled. On “The Athletic Football Show”, McVay talked about a handful of young players he’s looking forward to seeing this year.

Notably, he expects continued improvements from Bobby Brown III and a “major leap” from Byron Young. McVay also hopes to use Hoecht a bit differently in 2024 after he was left on an island far too often in coverage last season, resulting in easy completions for the opposing quarterback.

“We don’t have the luxury of having a guy that is, in essence, the Michael Jordan of the defensive line. We’ve got some really good players, but there is a philosophical approach that we believe – and Coach Shula – and what we’ll do defensively we believe in to play defense. But to expect anybody to play like Aaron Donald, to do the things he did to impact the game the way that he did, to affect his teammates the way that he did, that’s not fair to put that on anybody.

“But I am really excited and encouraged about the opportunity for us to see what that looks like. I’m so grateful for everything that he did, but I think we’ve got some young guys that I think have a chance. I think Kobie Turner’s a really good player. We’ve got some other young guys. I think Bobby Brown made a really good jump last year and I’m expecting that much more from him. We drafted Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis. And then on the edges, I think Byron Young is going to take a major leap. I think Michael Hoecht is a really versatile player that we can do a better job utilizing his skill set to not put him in some of the harder downs that he was in last year. And I’m really excited about Jared Verse.”

Hoecht was OK as a pass rusher last season, ranking fourth on the team in total pressures and pass-rush grade (66.8), but he really struggled in coverage. That shouldn’t have surprised anyone considering he’s a former defensive tackle who moved to outside linebacker, but Raheem Morris kept dropping him into coverage and even lined him up across from slot receivers at times.

The Rams didn’t necessarily have the luxury of taking Hoecht off the field much last year because of their lack of depth at outside linebacker, but with Verse’s arrival, the Rams are better equipped to put Hoecht into positions to succeed rather than being forced to play him the majority of the game.

Training camp will help sort out how the pass-rush rotation will work between Young, Verse and Hoecht. On the interior, Brown will have to hold off the rookie Davis, while Fiske and Turner try to fill the shoes of Donald as the primary interior rushers.

This baffling stat shows how badly the Rams misused Michael Hoecht in 2023

Michael Hoecht dropped into coverage and was targeted far more than any other edge rusher in the NFL. Will that change in 2024?

Michael Hoecht made the transition from defensive tackle to edge rusher in 2022, helping provide some depth at outside linebacker for the Rams. Since making that switch midway through the season, Hoecht has remained an edge rusher for Los Angeles, starting all 17 games opposite Byron Young last season.

There’s no doubt Hoecht has some pass-rush ability, but the way the Rams used him in 2023 was frustrating, to say the least. Far too often, former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris had Hoecht drop into coverage and even line up across from the opponent’s slot receiver.

Being a former defensive tackle, Hoecht is listed at 310 pounds, and while he probably isn’t playing at that weight anymore, he’s still a big defender who lacks speed. This stat shared by Aaron Schatz is particularly maddening when it comes to Hoecht’s usage.

He led all edge rushers with 25 coverage targets, nine more than any other edge defender in the NFL. And as Schatz notes, Hoecht is over 300 pounds, which makes you wonder why the Rams dropped him into coverage so often.

Pro Football Focus’ numbers might be even more baffling. Hoecht played 1,016 total snaps last season and 256 of those were in coverage. No other edge defender in the NFL had more than 147 coverage snaps last year, with Andrew Van Ginkel ranking second (147 coverage snaps). Byron Young was third (132 snaps), for comparison, so slightly more than half of Hoecht’s coverage snaps.

According to PFF, Hoecht was targeted 43 times, 25 times more than any other edge rusher, and he allowed 35 receptions, 18 more than anyone else at his position.

Needless to say, the Rams need to adjust how they deploy Hoecht because dropping into coverage isn’t a strength of his. He had a 66.8 pass-rush grade with 43 total pressures, and a 38.7 coverage grade with 35 receptions allowed.

Aaron Donald says Rams are in ‘a good position’ but should address one position

Aaron Donald thinks the Rams are “going to be a great team” in 2024 but they could still use help at one position

For the first time since 2013, Aaron Donald won’t be suiting up for the Rams. He retired after 10 seasons, leaving the game of football as one of the best to ever take the field.

Despite the fact that he won’t be playing for the team anymore, he’s still going to pay close attention to them. Donald is excited to watch them play this season and feels they have a good chance to contend in 2024.

He’s particularly confident in the offense, especially after re-signing Kevin Dotson and bringing in Jonah Jackson to improve the O-line.

“I think we got a great offense. We got a great offense. I think they just added, as far as beefing up the offensive line to help with the running game and protecting Stafford,” Donald said on “Green Light with Chris Long” this week. “I think they’ve still got some key pieces at wide receiver. They’ve still got Cooper Kupp, they’ve still got Puka. They got Robinson, they brought him back. They’ve got some good pieces.”

He does believe the Rams could stand to add help at one position, though. During his chat with Long, Donald said he’d like to see Los Angeles add an edge rusher to round out the defense – either a proven veteran or a prospect in the draft.

It’s similar to the feeling many fans have right now, knowing the outside linebacker group is the weakest on the roster.

“On defense, I think we’ve got good guys on the end but I think we can help with some edge help and I think they did (well) as far as bringing some corners in and some guys in the secondary to help,” he continued. “I think they’re in a good position right now. If anything, if I was to say one thing the Rams need just a little bit of help with, I would say just the edge rusher. Just getting an extra edge rusher, some guy that’s got some experience or find a good guy in the draft that can get it done. You see what we did in the draft last year, nobody expected us to be the team (we were) and a lot of the rookies end up making names for themselves and dominating, so if you get another piece like that that can help on the edge, I think the Rams are going to be a great team. it’s going to be fun to watch. I’m excited to watch the Rams play this year. I’m not going to be out there but I just feel like they’re going to have a lot of success, I really do. I think they’ve got all the pieces they need. Add a piece here as far as the edge guy and then they made some moves to help them get better.”

The Rams have all but ignored the outside linebacker position in the last two offseasons, with the exception of selecting Byron Young in Round 3 and adding Nick Hampton and Ochaun Mathis later in the draft. Young and Michael Hoecht are the projected starters once again in 2024, but edge rusher should be the team’s top priority in the draft.

The pass rush as a whole will have a tougher time generating pressure now without Donald drawing double-teams every snap, so the Rams have to address this hole sooner rather than later.

Michael Hoecht signs RFA tender to remain with Rams for 2024

Michael Hoecht signed his RFA tender on Thursday, which means he’s officially staying with the Rams for another season

Michael Hoecht will officially remain in a Rams uniform for the 2024 season. Hoecht was tendered by the Rams as a restricted free agent last month, which allowed him to field offers from other teams and giving Los Angeles the chance to match.

However, Hoecht signed his tender on Thursday, which will lock him in for next season. The tender is worth $2.985 million, which is what his cap hit will be for the upcoming campaign.

Hoecht started all 17 games last season for the Rams, recording a career-high six sacks and 81 tackles. He also broke up two passes and had one forced fumble to go along with seven tackles for a loss.

He may not be a prolific pass rusher, but the coaching staff obviously saw enough from his game last year to give him a $2.985 million deal for one year, a hefty raise for the DT-turned-OLB.

Here’s how much it’ll cost the Rams to tender RFAs such as Alaric Jackson, Michael Hoecht

Here’s how much it’ll cost the Rams to tender their restricted free agents, including Alaric Jackson and Michael Hoecht

In addition to a large group of unrestricted free agents, the Los Angeles Rams will also have several decisions to make on restricted free agents this offseason. A restricted free agent is a player with an expiring contract who’s only accrued three seasons, which applies to the likes of Alaric Jackson and Michael Hoecht, among others.

There are different levels of a restricted free agent tender, depending on how difficult the team wants to make it for another team to sign the player. For instance, a team can use a first-round tender on a player so that if he signs an offer sheet elsewhere, the team will receive a first-round pick as compensation.

On Friday, the NFL announced the tender amounts for restricted free agents, giving fans an idea of how much it’ll cost the Rams to keep their RFAs this offseason.

  • First-round tender: $6.822 million
  • Second-round tender: $4.89 million
  • Right of first refusal tender: $2.985 million

Below is a list of the Rams’ restricted free agents in 2024.

  • Alaric Jackson
  • Michael Hoecht
  • Christian Rozeboom
  • Jonah Williams
  • Tyler Johnson

It’s possible the Rams will not use a tender on any of the above players, but Jackson and Hoecht are two strong candidates to be tendered. If the Rams use the right of first refusal option, they will receive no compensation if the player leaves to sign with another team.

For that reason, the Rams might consider using the second-round tender on Jackson, knowing a team is unlikely to give up a second-round pick to sign him. With Hoecht, the best option is a right of first refusal tender of $2.985 million, though even that might be a bit too rich for Los Angeles’ taste.

Rams injury report: Tyler Higbee doubtful, 3 others questionable vs. Ravens

The Rams are unlikely to have Tyler Higbee on Sunday, while Byron Young and 3 others are also questionable against the Ravens

The Los Angeles Rams have some injury concerns heading into Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that Tyler Higbee is doubtful to play this weekend due to a neck injury suffered in the Rams’ win over the Browns.

Byron Young, Michael Hoecht and Quentin Lake will all be questionable due to the injuries they’re currently dealing with; Young and Hoecht have knee injuries, while Lake is recovering from a hamstring injury.

McVay did say that “unless there’s a setback,” he thinks Young and Hoecht will both be “good to go” for Sunday’s contest. That’s good news for the Rams because Hoecht and Young are their two primary edge rushers and play the majority of the snaps.

As for the Ravens, Rashod Bateman, Justin Madubuike and Lamar Jackson are all good to go and will not carry injury designations into Sunday’s game. They each had a day where they either missed practice or were limited, but they were all full participants Friday.

Rams injury report: Tyler Higbee and Michael Hoecht miss practice again

Tyler Higbee and Michael Hoecht missed practice again on Thursday, but Puka Nacua and Quentin Lake are making progress

The Rams only held a walkthrough to begin the week on Wednesday, but they hit the field for a full practice Thursday as they prepare for this weekend’s game against the Ravens. While some players made progress in their participation levels, Michael Hoecht and Tyler Higbee did not.

Higbee missed practice for the second straight day with a neck injury, and Higbee was also absent from practice again on Thursday due to a knee injury.

Byron Young was upgraded to limited, as was Quentin Lake, which is a good sign for both players as Sunday approaches. Puka Nacua is trending in the right direction, too, going from limited to full.

On the Ravens’ side Rashod Batemen was upgraded from DNP to full as he deals with an illness, and Justin Madubuike also went from limited to full, so he should be able to play against the Rams on Sunday. Lamar Jackson popped up on the report Thursday after missing practice due to an illness.

Rams injury report: Michael Hoecht questionable but expected to play

Michael Hoecht is the only Rams player listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

The Los Angeles Rams came out of their Week 9 bye as healthy as they’ve been all season, and they got even healthier when Kyren Williams returned from injured reserve. Heading into Week 13 with the Cleveland Browns coming to town, the Rams have almost no real injury concerns to speak of.

Quentin Lake has already been ruled out by the only other player with an injury designation is Michael Hoecht, who is listed as questionable.

“He’s making good progress, so we do expect him to be able to play,” Sean McVay said on Friday.

Matthew Stafford wasn’t on the injury report at all this week as he continues to recover from his thumb sprain, and Cooper Kupp was a full participant all week, so despite not being 100%, he will certainly play again this week despite his ankle injury.

The Rams and Browns released their full injury reports later on Friday after practice, and Cleveland’s is long but only four players carry injury designations.

Denzel Ward is out, as are Marquise Goodwin and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Backup center Nick Harris is also questionable.

Myles Garrett and Amari Cooper will both play, which is a big boost for Cleveland.

Chart shows Rams’ edge rushers have low win rate despite minimal double-teams

Byron Young and Michael Hoecht have among the lowest pass-rush win rates in the NFL despite rarely being doubled by opponents

Byron Young has put up some impressive numbers in his first nine games in the NFL. He’s second on the team with five sacks, has forced two fumbles, recorded two tackles for a loss and 14 quarterback hits. His 31 total pressures are the most of any rookie in the NFL this season, which is an example of how well he’s played as a third-round pick.

One chart shows that his numbers might be a little bit skewed, however. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, Young has the lowest double-team rate of all starting edge rushers this season, as well as the seventh-lowest pass-rush win rate.

Michael Hoecht isn’t far behind him, also ranking among edge rushers with the lowest double-team rate and the sixth-lowest pass-rush win rate. So while they’ve combined for 8.5 sacks, they aren’t winning their one-on-one matchups much at all.

ESPN defines a pass-rush win as a player beating his block within 2.5 seconds. This indicates Young and Hoecht are rarely getting to the quarterback quickly, which can’t be said about Aaron Donald.

Donald is being doubled about 60% of the time and he still has the third-best win rate of any defensive tackle in the league.

Donald has spoken a number of times about how the Rams’ edge rushers need to win their one-on-one opportunities when teams slide protection his way, and it’s easy to see why he continues to say that. As teams always have, they’re constantly doubling Donald on the interior and leaving their tackles on an island with the Rams’ edge rushers.

Until Young and Hoecht prove they can regularly win those matchups, teams will keep doubling Donald inside.