Steven Means (born September 16, 1990) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in the fifth round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall i ...

. He played college football for the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1 ...

. Means has also played for the

, Houston Texans, and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

Early life

Means was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He attended Grover Cleveland High School, where he participated on the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and football teams. Means' father, Steven Means Sr., played football at

Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New ...

. Means has two younger brothers, Brandon and Cameron.

College career

While attending the

, Means was a member of the

Buffalo Bulls football The Buffalo Bulls football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University at Buffalo located in the U.S. state of New York. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a membe ...

team from 2009 to 2012. In four seasons as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

, Means accumulated 186 total tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, three forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

, two

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

and five blocked kicks. He majored in human development and family studies.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On April 27, 2013, Steven Means was drafted by the

in the fifth round (147th overall) in the

. Means signed his contract on May 13, 2013, and also got a $191,752 signing bonus on a four-year deal worth $2,351,752. Means appeared in ten games for the Buccaneers during his rookie campaign in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

. After appearing in the first game of the following season, Means was

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United S ...

on September 9. In eleven games with the Buccaneers over two seasons, Means accumulated six tackles and no sacks.

Baltimore Ravens

The

signed Means to their practice squad in October 2014. Means appeared in only one game in 2014 after an injury to offensive tackle

Rick Wagner Richard Alexander Wagner (born October 21, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin. Wagner has ...

created a vacancy on the roster. On May 7, 2015, Means accepted a $510,000 exclusive-rights tender offer from the Ravens. On September 2, 2015, after suffering a

sports hernia Athletic pubalgia, also called sports hernia, core injury, hockey hernia, hockey groin, Gilmore's groin, or groin disruption is a medical condition of the pubic joint affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic groin pain in a ...

, Means was released by the Ravens with an injury settlement.

Houston Texans

On October 20, 2015, the Houston Texans signed Means to their practice squad.

Philadelphia Eagles

On December 8, 2015, Means was signed by the

off the Texans' practice squad. In 2016, the Eagles chose to retain Means following a strong

preseason In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

showing. Means was active for the first three weeks of the season and recorded his first solo tackle since his rookie year. Following a Week 4 bye, Means was placed on the inactive list. In a Week 7 game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

, Means, active again due to an injury to

Bennie Logan Bennie Cordell Logan (born December 28, 1989) is a former American football nose tackle. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State (LSU). Early years Logan ...

, recorded his first career sack, which also caused

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the ...

to fumble. On August 30, 2017, Means signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles. Means won

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Confere ...

after the Eagles defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

41-33. On September 1, 2018, Means was released by the Eagles.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 10, 2018, Means signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in eight games with four starts, recording 14 combined tackles and one sack. On February 13, 2019, Means signed a one-year contract extension with the Falcons. On May 22, 2019, Means suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in OTAs and was ruled out for the season. On March 9, 2020, Means signed a one-year contract extension with the Falcons. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

list by the team on August 29, 2020. On September 8, 2020, Means was activated prior to the season opener against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

. In Week 12 against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divi ...

, Means recorded a strip sack on

Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All- MWC honors, and w ...

that was recovered by teammate

LaRoy Reynolds LaRoy Reynolds (born November 3, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Virgin ...

during the 43–6 win. In 2020 while with the Falcons, Means was the team's recipient of the 2020 Ed Block Courage Award. The award is given to select NFL players who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, courage, and sportsmanship. On April 1, 2021, Means re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year contract. In Week 9, Means recovered a fumble and returned it for 32 yards thanks to a James Vaughters strip sack on Trevor Siemian in a 27-25 win over the Saints. Means suffered a knee injury as he was tackled from behind by Saints receiver

Tre'Quan Smith Tre'Quan Smith (born January 7, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCF. Early years Smith attended Village Academy High School in Delray ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2021. He was activated on December 4.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On June 17, 2022, Means signed with the

. He was released on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day. On September 14, the Ravens signed Means to the active roster. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on September 19, ending his season.

Personal life

Means grew up a fan of his hometown

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

, but admitted to feeling slighted by the organization for passing on him in the draft. He has done charity work for his high school, albeit under the radar. Means is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

References

External links

*
Buffalo Bulls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Means, Steven 1990 births Living people Players of American football from Buffalo, New York American football linebackers American football defensive ends Buffalo Bulls football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Baltimore Ravens players Philadelphia Eagles players Houston Texans players Atlanta Falcons players Ed Block Courage Award recipients