48 Travin Howard LB

The Rams placed Howard (knee) on injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Howard will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus and miss the 2020 season, so this move was inevitable. It leaves the Rams shorthanded at inside linebacker, though, as Micah Kiser, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder combined for 401 defensive snaps last year and are the only remaining players at the position.

Head coach Sean McVay said Howard will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and he'll miss the 2020 season, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Howard played all 16 games in 2019 mostly in a special-teams role, but he'll now turn his attention to getting healthy for the 2021 campaign. He was expected to have a heightened role this year after the departure of Cory Littleton, but now Kenny Young could enjoy expanded responsibilities. The 24-year-old Howard will be placed on injured reserve in the near future.

Howard (knee) sat out Saturday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Howard has enjoyed occasional first-team snaps on the Rams' defense, but he's not a lock for a starting role. He'll need to beat out either Micah Kiser or Troy Reeder, and any missed time works against Howard, so he'll seek a quick return to the field.

Howard started for the first-team defense during Saturday's scrimmage, Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

It appears Howard is a favorite to start at one of the inside linebacker positions for the Rams. The speedster bulked up over the offseason and could provide reliable tackle totals if given enough playing time. While he probably won't duplicate Cory Littleton's high-end fantasy production from the past two seasons, Howard could be a sneaky selection late in IDP drafts.

Howard has a good chance to start at one of the inside linebacker positions this season, Rich Hammond of The Athletic reports.

After playing just 11 defensive snaps through the first 11 games of the 2019 campaign, Howard received more responsibility down the stretch. The rookie recorded 14 tackles (12 solo) over the final five games of the year while playing 92 defensive snaps. With regular playing time, the 2018 seventh-round selection could prove to be a serviceable asset in IDP settings.

Howard signed a contract with the Rams on Wednesday, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Rams took Howard in the seventh round of last year's draft and ultimately stashed him on the practice squad for the entirety of the 2018 season. The TCU product will now stick around in Los Angeles this offseason with the aim of securing a depth role on a roster that has a number of linebackers (Dante Fowler, Cory Littleton, Matt Longacre) and special-teamers (Ramik Wilson, Bryce Hager) slated to test free agency.

The Rams waived Howard (undisclosed) from injured reserve Saturday, per the league's official transaction log.

The rookie seventh-round pick out of TCU couldn't shake his mystery injury. Howard will be free to sign with another team once he's healthy.

Howard (undisclosed) cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve, according to the league's official transaction log.

Howard is stuck on IR through the end of the league year unless he agrees to an injury settlement.

The Rams waived/injured Howard (undisclosed) on Saturday, Myles Simmons of the team's official site reports.

Howard was the Rams' seventh-round pick in April's draft. He's a talented young linebacker, but he's also undersized, standing at 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds. If he clears waivers, he'll revert to the team's injured reserve.