The Rams are getting a couple of starting offensive linemen back in time for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins.
Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson have both been activated from injured reserve. Avila started the season opener at left guard, but hurt his knee in the loss to the Lions. Jackson opened the season at center and went down with a shoulder injury in Week Two.
Sixth-round pick Beaux Limmer has been starting at center while undrafted rookie Justin Dedich has started the last three games at left guard.
The Rams waived offensive lineman Logan Bruss in a corresponding move and they also announced that they have elevated defensive lineman Jonah Williams from the practice squad.
At least for now, Xavien Howard will not be joining the Bengals.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Cincinnati made Howard an offer after the free-agent defensive back worked out for the club on Monday. But the two sides were unable to come to an agreement, so Howard will continue to train at home and await his next opportunity.
Howard, 31, was released by the Dolphins in March and has not been with a team since. He missed time late last season with a foot injury, but sent a letter to NFL teams in April notifying them he’d been fully cleared for football activities.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Howard has recorded 29 career interceptions with 95 passes defensed. He’s played all 100 of his career games with the Dolphins, who selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft.
The Bengals also reportedly had a workout scheduled with running back Leonard Forunette on Monday.
Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t done much this season in Miami, with only three catches for 15 yards. His next opportunity comes on Monday night, in his first game at against the Rams at SoFi Stadium since he suffered a torn ACL (or, more accurately, when he knee with a pre-torn ACL finally gave way) during Super Bowl LVI.
With Tyreek Hill questionable due to a wrist injury, Beckham might get more than the total playing time of 17 percent through four games (45 total snaps) in 2024.
And he might get a chance to duplicate the four-catch, 97-yard, one-touchdown showing he had against the Rams last year, when facing the Rams as a member of the Ravens.
On Saturday, Rams coach Sean McVay said all the right things about Beckham, based on his short stint with the Rams.
“He is such a special player and such a talent,” McVay told reporters. “I think the thing I respect as much as anything is what an impressive human he is and the things that he’s been able to overcome, whether it be some of the injury setbacks. You talk about a gifted, talented receiver, really smart and cerebral who can do so many different things. He was instrumental in us being able to do the things that we did for the short amount of time we had him here.
“I think the important thing with people, this is both Jalen [Ramsey] and Odell I feel this way about, do you leave an impact? What kind of relationships do you build and then what kind of impact do you leave? Both of those guys certainly left a big impact on me and this place. Jalen was here from 2019 to a couple years ago and even Odell was just a handful of months but the presence, the charisma, and the ability to really have such a good feel for what is needed in terms of the dynamics of the room. He’s as fun and as aware as anybody that I have been around. He was a real joy to coach, and I still keep in touch with both those guys. They mean a lot to me.”
They didn’t mean enough, of course, for the Rams to keep them. Ramsey was traded, and Beckham wasn’t re-signed — in 2023 or 2024. And while Beckham surely have plenty of reasons to show that he can still get it done, returning to the place where he was potentially on track to be Super Bowl MVP against a Rams team that didn’t want him back should give him extra motivation.
All he needs is enough chances to do it.
The Rams ruled out starting right tackle Rob Havenstein.
Havenstein did not practice this week with an ankle injury that limited him to 58 of 77 snaps last week against Seattle.
Coach Sean McVay said Saturday the Rams still are “working through” who will play right tackle.
The Rams expect to have offensive linemen Steve Avila (knee) and Jonah Jackson (shoulder) back from injured reserve. Both players were full participants in Thursday and Friday’s practices.
“There’s a good chance of that,” McVay said when asked if either Avila or Jackson will start against the Dolphins.
The Rams also ruled out nose tackle Neville Gallimore (shoulder) after he missed practice all week.
Safety Kam Curl (knee), offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (ankle/knee) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (neck) are listed as questionable, but McVay said he expects all three to play.
The NFL fined Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for unnecessary roughness in last week’s game against the Bills.
Mostert lost $18,830 for illegal use of his helmet.
On a third-and-11 play with 5:07 left in the first quarter, Mostert caught a short pass from Tua Tagovailoa. He ran up the middlefor a 17-yard gain before lowering his head into the helmet of Bills safety Taylor Rapp. Officials threw a flag on Rapp for unnecessary roughness.
Rapp was not fined for that hit since Mostert initiated it, but Rapp was fined $11,255 for taunting in the third quarter. He was not penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for that play.
Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer was fined $11,193 for his unnecessary roughness hit on Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman. Poyer was penalized on the play. Coleman will not play this week with a wrist injury.
Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith was fined $8,874 for a horse-collar tackle.
