Tag: Ochaun Mathis

Eagles sign former Rams edge rusher two days before facing LA

For the 2nd straight week, Ochaun Mathis will be a member of the opposing team when the Rams take the field

The Philadelphia Eagles might be looking for some intel on the Los Angeles Rams’ defense ahead of Sunday night’s showdown at SoFi Stadium. On Friday morning, just two days before facing the Rams, the Eagles signed one of LA’s former draft picks: 2023 sixth-rounder, Ochaun Mathis.

Philadelphia added Mathis to the practice squad after he was released by the Patriots this week. That means this will be the second straight week Mathis will be a member of the opposing team when the Rams take the field.

It’s not certain that Mathis will be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game and he was inactive last week against the Rams, so it’s possible he won’t get the chance to play against the team that drafted him.

Mathis was released by the Rams in August when they trimmed their roster down and the Patriots signed him just five days later. He was active for eight games with the Rams last year and five with New England this season.

Patriots announce new LB signing, along with other roster moves

It was a busy day of roster moves for New England

The New England Patriots announced they have signed linebacker Titus Leo off the Indianapolis Colts practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Leo is a former sixth-round draft pick and FCS All-American out of Wagner College. The signing came along with the news that the Patriots are placing linebacker Curtis Jacobs on injured reserve, while also releasing Ochaun Mathis on Tuesday.

Jacobs, who was claimed off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, had been a steady contributor in New England, appearing on four percent of the defensive snaps and 58 percent of the special teams snaps. He has played in nine games and started in two of those outings this season.

Mathis only appeared in five games with the bulk of his workload coming on special teams for the Patriots. Meanwhile, Leo has yet to get his first real taste of NFL action.

Perhaps that’ll finally change for a Patriots team looking to add some depth.

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Huskers alum signs two-year deal with Patriots

Ochaun Mathis will be in New England for the future.

Former Nebraska football player Ochaun Mathis was signed to a two-year contract by the New England Patriots on Friday. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that the linebacker was added to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier this week.

Mathis played one season at Nebraska. In 2022, he played in 12 games and recorded 48 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two pass deflections. One of the highlights of his time in Lincoln was a six-tackle performance against Purdue.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Over the course of his NFL career, he has appeared in 11 games.

Mathis could provide stability to a Patriots linebacker group that is currently experiencing a youth movement. The two-year deal signals that the Patriots have him in their future defensive plans.

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Patriots sign LB to 53-man roster in wake of Joshua Uche trade

With Joshua Uche gone, the Patriots are restocking their linebacker position

The New England Patriots made a couple of moves on Tuesday in the wake of linebacker Joshua Uche being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

They signed linebacker Ochaun Mathis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, while also signing wide receiver Braylon Sanders to take Mathis’ place on the practice squad.

Mathis has already appeared in three games for the Patriots mostly as a special teams contributor. He has been in on 40 special teams snaps for the team in total, while only contributing on five defensive snaps.

The former sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft has shown some promise as a contributing edge defender for the Patriots. He’ll fit in as a rotational piece behind more established playmakers like Deatrich Wise Jr., Keion White and Anfernee Jennings.

Meanwhile, Sanders will serve as another project receiver for the Patriots to work with behind the scenes. He came into the league as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

There should be plenty of opportunities for him to prove himself in a Patriots receivers’ room with more questions than answers right now.

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Rams release OLB Ochaun Mathis, 11 others in first wave of cuts

The Rams have made their first wave of cuts as they work toward the 53-player limit, cutting 11 players on Sunday

The roster trimming has officially begun for the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, the team released 12 players as it works its way toward the 53-man limit by Tuesday’s deadline.

Among the first 12 players cut were 2023 sixth-rounder Ochaun Mathis, fourth-string quarterback Dresser Winn and veteran defensive tackle Carlos Watkins. None of the names are particularly surprising, but the Rams still have a long way to go toward getting to the maximum of 53 players.

Olakunle Fatukasi, J.J. Laap, Blake Larsen, Alec Lindstrom, Cameron McCutcheon, Grant Miller, SaRodorick Thompson and Matt Kaskey were also among the players cut Sunday. It was reported earlier that Boston Scott was released, too.

Take a look at the full list of 12 players cut below.

6 Rams to watch in Week 6 vs. Cardinals

Here are six players from the Rams to keep an eye on in Week 6 versus the Cardinals.

The Los Angeles Rams are set to host their second straight home game in Week 6 with their first matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this season. The Rams are coming off a 23-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 in Cooper Kupp’s return to the field following a four-game absence because of a hamstring injury.

Entering Sunday’s showdown with the Cardinals, the Rams possess a 2-3 record, making this a must-win game against a 1-4 divisional opponent. The Cardinals lost 34-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but they continue to play competitively each week under new head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Ahead of a Week 6 matchup versus the Cardinals, here are six players from the Rams to keep tabs on.

Ochaun Mathis impressed Sean McVay in his NFL debut vs. Eagles

Sean McVay came away impressed by Ochaun Mathis in the rookie’s debut for the Rams on Sunday versus the Eagles.

Ochaun Mathis made his debut for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing the first four games of the season because of a knee injury. Even though Mathis played limited snaps and didn’t record a stat, Sean McVay liked what he saw from the rookie pass rusher.

“I thought it was good to be able to get his feet wet,” McVay said. “He played a handful of snaps. There were some rush situations where you could see the length and the overall ability. It was obviously a great challenge with Jalen (Hurts) doing such a good job of being able to extend and create some things off schedule. I think you got to take into account that that was the first time he had even been in pads as a Ram this past week. Didn’t play in any preseason games and so thought it was a good step in the right direction. Definitely some learning opportunities, but (OLBs coach) Joe Coniglio does a great job with that room as a whole and it was good to get Ochaun back out there.”

By the end of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, Mathis had logged only 10 defensive snaps for the Rams. Mathis did have a couple of snaps where he was able to get into the backfield, only for Jalen Hurts to extend plays for the Eagles.

The Rams are desperate for production off of the edge, with Aaron Donald and Byron Young being the only consistent pass rushers on the field. Michael Hoecht isn’t generating any pressure and the other depth options aren’t making much of a difference with their opportunities.

After missing the majority of training camp and the preseason, the Rams are going to ease Mathis into the defense. But considering that the Rams made fellow rookie edge rusher Nick Hampton inactive for Mathis in Week 5, it’s clear they want to see what they have in the sixth-round rookie moving forward.

Rams activate Cooper Kupp and Ochaun Mathis from IR

The Rams officially activated Cooper Kupp and Ochaun Mathis from IR, putting them in line to play Sunday

Cooper Kupp is officially back on the Rams’ roster. The team activated both Kupp and Ochaun Mathis from injured reserve on Saturday, adding them to the 53-man roster.

This puts both players in line to make their 2023 debuts after missing the first four games of the season. Kupp has been out since injuring his hamstring this summer, while Mathis hurt his knee at the start of training camp.

Sean McVay has already said Kupp is expected to play against the Eagles on Sunday, but it remains to be seen if Mathis will be on the game-day roster as a backup edge rusher.

Rams designate Cooper Kupp, Ochaun Mathis to return from IR

The Rams have officially designated Cooper Kupp and Ochaun Mathis to return from IR, allowing them to begin practicing this week

The Los Angeles Rams will get a couple of players back at practice this week, one of whom is an All-Pro and former Offensive Player of the Year. On Wednesday, the Rams officially designated Cooper Kupp and rookie Ochaun Mathis to return from injured reserve.

This allows them both to begin practicing immediately, opening the 21-day window for them to be activated from IR. Both players are first eligible to come off IR this week after missing the first four games of the season, but it remains to be seen if the Rams will activate them right away or wait another week or two.

If they don’t activate them in the next 21 days, they will remain on IR for the rest of the season. That’s highly unlikely to happen, though; Sean McVay has already discussed getting both players back, so they will be activated at some point.

Kupp has been sidelined since reinjuring his hamstring just before the season started, while Mathis injured his knee at the beginning of training camp in July.

Once activated, Kupp will immediately step in as the Rams’ top receiver alongside Puka Nacua, with Tutu Atwell likely remaining a starter, too. Mathis could contribute soon as an edge rusher, a position group that has been somewhat underwhelming outside of Byron Young.

Sean McVay is excited about rookie OLB Ochaun Mathis’ imminent return

Ochaun Mathis has been out since the start of training camp but he could provide some valuable depth at outside linebacker

The Rams have mostly relied on two edge rushers this season: Byron Young and Michael Hoecht. They don’t have much depth at that position, giving Zach VanValkenburg and Nick Hampton very few opportunities in the first four weeks.

Help could be on the way, though. The Rams plan to have rookie Ochaun Mathis return to practice this week in hopes that he can be activated from injured reserve when first eligible. Sean McVay said on the “Coach McVay Show” Monday that he’s excited about Mathis’ imminent return, which could be as soon as this Sunday against the Eagles.

“We’re excited to be able to get Ochaun back out on the grass,” McVay said. “He’s a guy that, he’s got the length, he’s got the athleticism, he’s got some nuances with his ability to rush and put pressure on the quarterback. He was a guy that had really taken great steps throughout the offseason program and then had the unfortunate setback in training camp where he was able to just get going and that happened in the five-day acclimation period. But he’s attacked his rehab the right way, he looks the part. I thought he had some tangible evidence of saying it’s not just looking the part, but also being able to deliver on that – with a small body of work, but something we’re excited to be able to start that window, see exactly when that’d be that he’d be ready to return to action. Certainly wouldn’t rule out Philly this week, but again, let’s get these guys out on the field, both he and Cooper, and see what that means as it relates to this coming Sunday.”

Mathis injured his knee in the beginning of training camp and has been sidelined ever since. He made the 53-man roster and was placed on IR shortly after, which allowed him to return after just four games rather than missing the entire season like he would have if the Rams put him on IR before setting the roster.

While he was only a sixth-round pick, Mathis is 6-foot-5 and has the size the Rams are looking for in an edge rusher. McVay likes his athleticism, too, which is what has helped Young get on the field so quickly.

Don’t expect Mathis to become a starter right away but with Hoecht struggling a little bit and the Rams having very little depth at the position, he could contribute sooner rather than later.