Ethan Westbrooks - Pro Football Rumors

The Raiders have made their slew of cuts. They placed defensive tackle Justin Ellis on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss the entire season. After starting 14 games in 2017, Oakland signed Ellis to a three-year, $15MM extension. Injuries limited him to just six games last season, so he’ll have barely played through the first two years of that extension.

Former Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks also got the boot. He started nine games for Los Angeles in 2017 and racked up four sacks. Last year he had a smaller role, although he did appear in all 16 games for the Rams. ‘Hard Knocks’ star Keelan Doss unfortunately failed to make the roster. He’s an undrafted rookie receiver from UC Davis. Additionally Keith Smith, who served as the team’s fullback last season, was released.

Waived:

WR Marcell Ateman
DE Quinton Bell
RB James Butler
LB Jason Cabinda
LB Te’von Coney
G Lester Cotton Sr.
WR Keelan Doss
LB Koa Farmer
WR Rico Gafford
WR Keon Hatcher
G/T Denver Kirkland
CB Dylan Mabin
T Justin Murray
CB Nick Nelson
WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
T Tyler Roemer
DT Anthony Rush

Released:

FB Keith Smith
DE Ethan Westbrooks
LB Kyle Wilber

Waived/injured:

TE Paul Butler

Placed on season-ending injured reserve:

DT Justin Ellis

Raiders Sign Ethan Westbrooks

July 30th, 2019 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have signed defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, according to a team announcement. In related moves, they have waived defensive lineman Ronald Ollie and tight end Erik Swoope.

Westbrooks spent his first five years with the Rams and started in nine contests for L.A. in 2017. In that season, he registered four sacks, marking a new career high.

Last year, however, was not his finest. In September, Westbrooks was cuffed for possession of a stolen handgun. He still appeared in all 16 games for the Rams, but he made zero starts for their star-studded front seven and finished out with just eight tackles and one sack. With the Raiders, he’ll likely find himself as a depth addition once again.

Swoope, a former basketball standout at the University of Miami, had a noteworthy year with the Colts in 2016. Thanks in part to injury, he has yet to see similar playing time since then or match his average of 19.8 yards per reception (across a limited sample of 15 catches).

Rams’ Ethan Westbrooks Arrested

September 25th, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks was arrested for possession of a stolen handgun over the weekend, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. The news was first reported by the Southern California News Group.

Westbrooks was pulled over for speeding on Friday night when an officer found a handgun loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition. Later, cops ran the serial number of the firearm and found that it was stolen eight years earlier. Westbrooks is now facing five felony charges related to the weapon and has an arraignment scheduled for Oct. 5.

The Rams agreed to a one-year extension with Westbrooks earlier this year, an agreement that took him from a $1.797MM salary this year to $1.25MM. In exchange for that, Westbrooks received a $1.75MM salary for the 2018 season. However, a felony conviction would put that pact in jeopardy. Even without a conviction, Westbrooks will likely be in for a suspension at the very minimum, though that may not come until the legal process has finished.

Westbrooks’ role with the Rams has slowly grown over the years ever since joining them as a UDFA in 2014. Last year, he finished out 2016 with 24 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. This year, he notched a sack in the season opener and played in 66 snaps (38 running, 28 passing) through three games.

Rams, Ethan Westbrooks Agree To Extension

September 11th, 2017 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Rams and defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks have agreed to a one-year extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The new deal calls for a pay cut from his $1.797MM salary for this year to $1.25MM. In exchange for that, Westbrooks gets a $1.75MM salary for the 2018 season.

Westbrooks signed his original-round RFA tender this offseason, which would have put him in line for unrestricted free agency in the spring. Last spring, the 26-year-old (27 in November) was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, but the Sacramento County District Attorney chose not to file charges.

The West Texas A&M product has been with the Rams since 2014 when he entered the league as a UDFA. His role has slowly grown over the years and he even wound up starting two games last year. Westbrooks finished out 2016 with 24 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. On Sunday, he notched three tackles and sacked opposing quarterback Scott Tolzien in the third quarter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/17

April 10th, 2017 at 5:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest minor moves from around the NFL:

Broncos linebacker Todd Davis has signed his restricted free agent tender, reports Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Broncos applied a second-rounder tender to Davis, meaning it would have been quite costly for anyone to sign him away from Denver. The 24-year-old Davis set career highs in starts (15) and tackles (97) last season, when his performance ranked a decent 43rd among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.
Patriots offensive lineman Cameron Fleming has signed his RFA tender, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats applied an original-round tender last month to Fleming, who was a fourth-round pick in 2014. Fleming has started in 14 of 35 appearances in three seasons, and is coming off his first 16-game campaign.
The Rams are keeping defensive end Ethan Westbrooks, who signed his original-round RFA tender, relays Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Westbrooks, undrafted in 2014, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence last month, but the Sacramento County District Attorney chose not to file charges. Los Angeles is also retaining exclusive rights free agents Matt Longacre (DE) and Louis Trinca-Pasat (DT). Meanwhile, the team has officially waived wide receiver Stedman Bailey, whose career likely ended when he survived two gunshot wounds to the head in 2015.
Nose tackle Mike Purcell and linebacker Carl Bradford have signed their ERFA tenders with the 49ers, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Purcell, the more experienced of the two, logged career-best totals in appearances (15), starts (five) and tackles (26) in 2016.
The Raiders have waived defensive lineman Demetrius Cherry, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cherry signed with the 49ers last spring as an undrafted free agent from Arizona State. After the 49ers cut him prior to the season, he caught on with Oakland’s practice squad.
The Falcons have signed former University of Georgia track and field athlete Garrett Scantling, who will try and make the team as a receiver (Instagram link). Scantling has not played football since his senior year of high school. However, he performed well when partaking in Jacksonville University’s pro day last month.
LSU’s Cyril Grayson, who also has a background in track, has signed with the Seahawks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The seven-time All-American hasn’t played football since 2011, but he did run a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at LSU’s pro day last week, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rams Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 12th, 2014 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have officially announced their list of undrafted free additions, and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the 15 names for us. Here are the newest Rams:

Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green
Jarrid Bryant, CB, South Dakota
Avery Cunningham, S, Central Michigan
Austin Franklin, WR, New Mexico
Deantre Harlan, DT, Bacone
Aaron Hill, LB, Minnesota
Kadeem Jones, FB, Western Kentucky
Emmanuel McCray, OT, Mississippi
Johnny Millard, LB, Cal Poly State
Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
Abasi Salimu, OT, Nicholls State
Jamaine Sherman, WR, East Texas Baptist
Julius “Trey” Watts, RB, Tulsa
Ethan Westbrooks, DT, West Texas A&M ($20K bonus and $30K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
Tavarius Wilson, LB, North Alabama