Nick

Niemann

Niemann was brought over in March with the expectation that he’d be a key cog for the Texans’ special teams, but that won’t happen now. The 27-year-old will likely be swooped up relatively quickly by a team who needs depth in the linebacking corps.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that it’s a $6.5 million deal for Niemann. The 27-year-old linebacker is best known for his quality special teams play, and he’ll likely be a key backup to the starting linebackers while seeing most of his playing time on kick coverage.

Rountree was a four-year contributor at Missouri, finishing his career behind only Brad Smith with 3,720 yards (5.0 per carry) and 40 touchdowns. He joins a crowded backfield with the Chargers, where he’ll compete for a roster spot as the No. 4 running back. Rountree has a similar profile to both Joshua Kelley and contract-year RB Justin Jackson, who he’ll likely replace in 2022. The Chargers also signed fifth-round OG Brenden Jaimes, sixth-round LB Nick Niemann, and seventh-round DB Mark Webb to rookie contracts.

Niemann (6'3/234) is the brother of Chiefs LB Ben Niemann. Nick started for two years full-time with a handful of starts tossed in before then. Niemann finally claimed some accolades in his final year, picking up third-team All-Big Ten as voted on by the conference’s coaches. Niemann notched a career-high 72 tackles as a senior, which is fairly amazing given Iowa only played eight games. As a prospect, Niemann’s profile comes down to making the athletic traits match the film. Niemann dashed to a blazing 4.51 forty time while also posting a silky smooth 6.67 three-cone. Niemann does not play with a fast trigger, meaning his transitions to either come down hill in the run game or move around in the pass game take extra steps. If Niemann can speed up his process a bit, he could find a spot as a low-end off-ball linebacker.

Niemann suffered the injury on the very last play of the loss to Wisconsin, and the 6-foot-4, 232-pound defender is a big loss for the Hawkeyes. He picked up 10 tackles against the Badgers, and he had 22 over the season. With Niemann out, Barrington Wade, A.J. Espensa and Kristian Welch are expected to get more playing time for Iowa.