Aravious "Ray-Ray" Armstrong (born March 5, 1991) is a former

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

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

from 2009 to 2012. He was signed by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Early life

Armstrong attended Seminole High School in

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical ...

. He played both

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and safety. As a senior, he led Seminole to the 2008 FHSAA Class 6A state championship over

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the 2013 Sugar Bowl, and was selected as the final first round pick of ...

Miami Northwestern Miami Northwestern Senior High School is a public high school, public four-year high school located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. The school has struggled with test scores. It has had successful football and track programs and numerous ...

. During that year he threw for 1,400 yards and 14

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

, rushed for 1,144 yards with 22 touchdowns and caught three passes for 29 yards and one touchdown as a QB. As a safety he had 70 tackles, 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 bu ...

, three forced

fumble 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 ...

s and two fumble recoveries. He was considered the 13th best recruit in 2009 by Rivals.com.

College career

Armstrong accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a freshman for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

in 2009, Armstrong played in 10 games, recording 14

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

. As a sophomore in 2010, Armstrong took over as a starter and has 66 tackles, three

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

s and a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

in 11 games. On July 18, 2012, Armstrong was dismissed from the Hurricanes football team for being dishonest during an internal investigation. On August 14, 2012, it was announced that Armstrong had transferred to

Faulkner University Faulkner University is a private Christian university in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. History The university was founded in 1942 by Rex Turner, Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as "Montgomery B ...

and would play for the Faulkner Eagles, an NAIA team, during the 2012 season. However, Armstrong was declared ineligible on September 11, 2012, due to the circumstances of his dismissal from the Miami Hurricanes. NAIA rules prohibit any athlete "who has been permanently banned in a given sport at any four-year institution."

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Armstrong was signed as an

by the

after 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 in ...

on April 27, 2013. He registered 12

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles. In 2014, he appeared in 4 games. He was released on October 6.

Oakland Raiders

Armstrong was claimed off waivers by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

on October 7, 2014. He appeared in 11 games (3 starts). In 2015, he appeared in 10 games (2 starts). He was cut on November 24, 2015.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 25, 2015, Armstrong was claimed off waivers by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. On March 9, 2016, Armstrong signed a one-year contract extension with the 49ers. On September 21, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury. On December 19, 2016, Armstrong signed a two-year contract extension with the 49ers through the 2018 season. On November 25, 2017, Armstrong was released by the 49ers.

New York Giants

On November 27, 2017, Armstrong was claimed off waivers by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. On October 16, 2018, Armstrong was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

after suffering a concussion in Week 6. He appeared in 6 games and registered 20 tackles. He was released on October 23, 2018.

Cleveland Browns

On October 25, 2018, Armstrong was signed by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He appeared in 9 games. The Browns re-signed Armstrong on a one year $1.550 million contract on March 13, 2019. He was released by the Browns on August 31.

New Orleans Saints

On September 18, 2019, Armstrong was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

after the team placed linebacker

Alex Anzalone Alex Anzalone ( , born September 22, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators. Anzalone was selected in the third round ...

on the

. He appeared in 5 games, playing on

. He was released on October 22.

Dallas Cowboys

On December 24, 2019, Armstrong was signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

to provide depth because of injuries for the season finale. He had one

tackle against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. He was not re-signed after the season.

Seattle Seahawks

On October 21, 2020, Armstrong was signed to 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on October 24 and December 12 for the team's weeks 7 and 14 games against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

and

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was released on December 15. On December 30, 2020, Armstrong re-signed with Seattle to their practice squad. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 18, 2021.

References

External links

*
Behind the Facemask: Ray-Ray Armstrong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Ray-Ray 1991 births Living people 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal American football linebackers American football safeties Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players Miami Hurricanes football players New Orleans Saints players New York Giants players Oakland Raiders players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Seminole High School (Seminole County, Florida) alumni Sportspeople from Sanford, Florida Players of American football from Seminole County, Florida St. Louis Rams players