Tag: travin howard

Rams have only re-signed 3 players drafted in the Sean McVay era

Since 2017, the Rams have only given second contracts to 3 players that they’ve drafted and only 1 has really worked out

Drafting rookies is hard. Ask any general manager, scout or head coach. Finding future stars in the NFL is extremely difficult, and even landing a handful of starters in one class is a challenge.

For the most part, Rams GM Les Snead has done a good job selecting players in the draft. He found Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Michael Brockers, Tyler Higbee, Todd Gurley and Rob Havenstein. Lately, though, the results have been more of a mixed bag.

Since 2017, the Rams have had their share of misses, with the 2020 class immediately coming to mind. After trading Van Jefferson to the Falcons, the Rams have just three players left from that nine-player class: Brycen Hopkins, Jordan Fuller and Tremayne Anchrum Jr., two of whom are backups.

Not a single player from that class has received a contract extension yet, and it’s unclear if any of them will next offseason when they become free agents. It could follow the path of the 2019 class, which the Rams have no players left on the roster from.

Widening the scope, it’s become common practice for Los Angeles to let draft picks leave, either via trade, release or in free agency. Since Sean McVay took over as the head coach in 2017, only three players drafted by the Rams have gotten second contracts.

  • Cooper Kupp: three years, $48 million (2020)
  • Joe Noteboom: three years, $40 million (2022)
  • Brian Allen: three years, $18 million (2022)

Typically, the mark of a good draft pick is a second contract. If a team doesn’t give a player a second contract before or after their rookie contract expires, it’s usually a sign that the player didn’t do enough to earn a long-term extension – unless they priced themselves out of the team’s range in free agency.

For the Rams, many of their draft picks since 2017 simply haven’t panned out, and it’s not as if they’ve gone on to have big years with other teams. Sure, Taylor Rapp, Greg Gaines and David Edwards were solid players, but they didn’t turn into must-keep free agents.

And obviously, the 2020 class is headed down the same road with Cam Akers and Jefferson being traded, Terrell Lewis and Terrell Lewis being cut last year and Clay Johnston and Sam Sloman failing to make it through their rookie years in L.A.

The Rams have overcome some draft misses and still won a Super Bowl, but it’s not often this team nails a pick that becomes a high priority when their rookie contract expires. Hopefully Ernest Jones, Cobie Durant, Steve Avila and Byron Young (among others) can change that narrative in Los Angeles.

One more time: Bills’ Travin Howard slams door shut vs. Colts

That hit is worth another look:

Travin Howard sure knows how to stop a two-point conversion attempt. He did so in a very powerful manner against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Buffalo Bills topped Indy in a 23-19 fashion to open their preseason. Howard, a depth linebacker hopeful of cracking the 53-man roster, turned some heads with this one.

Colts tight end Michael Jacobson looked poised to score on the extra attempt…until Howard lowered the boom on the goal line.

Check out the massive hit below:

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Madden 24 ratings for every Buffalo Bills linebacker

Matt Milano much higher rated:

EA Sports is going position-by-position and releasing player ratings for their upcoming NFL video game, Madden 24.

This year’s game will feature Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the cover and we now know how the game rates linebackers in the NFL.

Here are the Madden 24 ratings for every Bills linebacker set to feature in the game:

List of Bills players heading into final year of their contract in 2023

List of #Bills players heading into final year of their contract in 2023 (via @TejasVemparala):

The 2023 NFL season has a sense of continued hope and optimism attached to the Buffalo Bills, much like the last couple of years. Could they go all the way? What happens if they don’t?

The desire will continue in Buffalo, but some players could be playing their final year at Highmark Stadium once the season gets rolling.

This leads to a list of players that the team needs to consider signing extensions with based on how the season ends.

Here’s all Bills players heading into the final year of their contract in 2023 (figures via Over The Cap):

Buffalo Rams? Leonard Floyd is latest Super Bowl champ to go from LA to Bills

The Bills have now added their 5th player from the Rams’ Super Bowl team, with Leonard Floyd being the latest

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The Buffalo Bills are signing veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal in hopes of bolstering their pass-rushing unit. It continues the Bills’ trend of signing former Rams players, with Floyd being the fifth to land in Buffalo in the last two years.

Besides Floyd, the Bills also added David Edwards and Taylor Rapp in free agency this offseason. Aaron Kromer, the Rams’ former offensive line coach, is now the Bills’ offensive line coach, so it’s not a surprise to see him lure Edwards to Buffalo. Linebacker Travin Howard, who helped send the Rams to Super Bowl LVI with a game-sealing interception against the 49ers, also signed with the Bills this offseason.

Going back to last year, the Bills signed All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract ahead of the 2022 season. Miller was traded to the Rams during the 2021 campaign and helped Los Angeles secure its first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season.

In the grand scheme of things, the Bills could simply just be looking to add players who they believe fit their schemes on both sides of the ball. But in recent years, the Bills have seemingly taken a liking to rostering players who previously suited up for the Rams after the recent addition of Floyd.

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Former Rams LB Travin Howard signed with the Bills

Travin Howard, who spent 5 seasons with the Rams, has signed with the Bills as a free agent

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Another player from the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning team in 2021 has decided to leave in free agency. The Buffalo Bills have signed linebacker Travin Howard, along with two other players.

Howard joined the Rams in 2018 as a seventh-round pick and remained with the team ever since then, spending five years in Los Angeles.

The former TCU safety transitioned to linebacker in the NFL, playing a total of 29 regular-season games with the Rams and another four in the postseason. He came down with the game-sealing interception in the NFC title game against the 49ers, which sent the Rams to Super Bowl LVI.

He played all four playoff games that year and had 10 tackles with three passes defensed and a tackle for a loss.

Cowboys host 3 veteran free agents, including two-time Super Bowl RB

RB Ronald Jones II, LB Travin Howard, and OL Chuma Edoga were scheduled for physicals and evaluations at The Star as free agency continues. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys were scheduled to bring in a trio of free agents as they look to fill in a few roster gaps with experienced talent that should come somewhat cheaper than the big-name veterans signed during last week’s initial rush.

Running back Ronald Jones II, linebacker Travin Howard, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga were expected to undergo physicals and be evaluated Monday at the The Star in Frisco, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Jones played high school ball in the Metroplex before a three-year college career at USC. A second-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2018, Jones logged 2,174 rushing yards over four seasons with the Bucs, winning a Super Bowl in the process. In 2022, he signed with Kansas City, but he got into just six games with the Chiefs; he won another Super Bowl ring in February but did not take the field during the game.

Howard played collegiately at TCU and was a seventh-round draft pick by the Rams in 2018. He made just 29 regular-season game appearances over three years; his most memorable highlight came in the 2021 NFC Championship, when he picked off a Jimmy Garoppolo pass in the final two minutes to send the Rams to Super Bowl LVI. He was out for most of 2022 with a core muscle injury, but Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel is familiar with Howard after their time together in L.A.

Edoga was a third-round selection by the Jets in 2019 out of USC. After three seasons in New York as a tackle who could play either the right or left side, the lineman was claimed off waivers by Atlanta and saw work at left guard.

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Rams free agent Travin Howard to visit Cowboys

Travin Howard will visit the Cowboys on Monday

The Los Angeles Rams’ linebacker depth was hurt by the release of Bobby Wagner, leaving Ernest Jones and Jake Hummel as the only ones still under contract for 2023 – before the team tendered Christian Rozeboom. Travin Howard is a pending free agent and he’s exploring the market, which means he may not be back with the Rams next season.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Howard will visit the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, along with Ronald Jones and Chuma Edoga.

Howard originally joined the Rams as a seventh-round pick in 2018 but has played just 29 games and made two starts since then. He did play all four postseason games in 2021 and made two starts, coming up with the clinching interception in the NFC title game against the 49ers.

A groin injury sidelined Howard for most of last season, however, limiting him to just one game.

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Rams designate Van Jefferson, Troy Hill and Travin Howard to return

The Rams are poised to get three key players back in the near future, designating Jefferson, Hill and Howard to return to practice

Reinforcements are officially on their way back. On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams announced they’ve designated three players to return: Van Jefferson, Troy Hill and Travin Howard.

Jefferson and Hill are making their way back from injured reserve, while Howard has been on the non-football injury list since injuring his groin before training camp.

Designating them to return does not mean they have been activated. This simply means the Rams have activated their 21-day window for these players to return to practice. At any point in that 21-day period, the Rams can activate them and add them to the 53-man roster.

If the Rams don’t activate them in that window, they will remain on the injured list for the rest of the season. That’s highly unlikely to happen for any of these players, however.

Jefferson hasn’t played a game this season after undergoing two knee procedures this offseason. The Rams could desperately use his speed as a downfield weapon, given the offense’s struggles to push the ball deep.

Hill suffered a groin injury in Week 2 against the Falcons and has not played since. He’ll assume his role as the No. 2 cornerback next to Jalen Ramsey, pushing Derion Kendrick down the depth chart.

Howard probably won’t have much of an impact right now with Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones manning the inside linebacker spot, but he does provide depth.

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Travin Howard placed on NFI list, will have core muscle surgery

The Rams put Travin Howard on the non-football injury list, and he’ll undergo core muscle surgery to repair his injury

Travin Howard won’t be on the field as the Rams begin training camp. The team announced Sunday it has placed Howard on the non-football injury list after he pulled his groin while working out before camp.

Because the injury occurred while not with the team, Howard is eligible for the NFI list. He’s still able to come off the list at any time once he’s healthy, and it sounds like he could still be ready for Week 1.

Ian Rapoport reported that Howard will undergo core muscle surgery and “he has a solid chance” to be ready before the season opener against the Bills on September 8.