Did the LA Rams just call up a diamond-in-the-rough RB?

Buddy Howell is a bigger-bodied back

Now, about RB Buddy Howell, the 6-foot-1 225-pound undrafted running back signed by the Houston Texans in 2018 out of Florida Atlantic, carried on the roster for three seasons, and cut just this year? He too is primarily a special teams guy. In fact, he was a staple of the Houston Texans coverage units, who only rarely was given a chance to play some snaps with the offense as well.

Howell was released by the Texans earlier this year after the Texans’ front office loaded up with veteran running backs. In the preseason, he rushed 17 times for 67 yards, averaging 3.94 yards-per-carry. The Texans signed Mark Ingram to be their feature back (we lobbied for Ingram in the offseason), and Howell was simply one of those luxuries at running back that the Houston Texans believed that they could no longer afford (roster spot wise.

Buddy Howell was pretty magnanimous over being released:

Why would the Rams claim him? Well, he is a bigger-bodied running back, a niche in the LA Rams offense that had until now not been addressed. He is taller than, but the same weight as, former LA Rams running back Malcolm Brown. While Howell has yet to deliver any resemblance of NFL rushing forte, he has only played in 86 offensive snaps and carried the football just 21 times for 74 yards.  It may not seem like much, but he has shown significant progress and development during his time with the Texans.

Due to the anticipated problems with quarterback DeShaun Watson, the Texans believed that they had to reconfigure the offense to boost the running game. That meant veterans were signed up, and a young developing running back was sent packing.