Steven Means (born September 16, 1990) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

outside linebacker. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. 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 ...

for the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

. Means has also been a member of the

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

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Early life

Means was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

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

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track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and football teams. Means' father, Steven Means Sr., played football at Buffalo State College. Means has two younger brothers, Brandon and Cameron.

College career

While attending the

, Means was a member of the Buffalo Bulls football 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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, Means accumulated 186 total tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions 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 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round (147th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft. 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 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. After appearing in the first game of the following season, Means was waived on September 9. In eleven games with the Buccaneers over two seasons, Means accumulated six tackles and no sacks.

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

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

Houston Texans

On October 20, 2015, the

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 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, Means, active again due to an injury to Bennie Logan, recorded his first career sack, which also caused Sam Bradford to fumble. On August 30, 2017, Means signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles. Means won Super Bowl LII after the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33. On September 1, 2018, Means was released by the Eagles.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 10, 2018, Means signed with the

. 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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the team on August 29, 2020. On September 8, 2020, Means was activated prior to the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. In Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Means recorded a strip sack on Derek Carr that was recovered by teammate LaRoy Reynolds 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. 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 Ravens. 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 tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

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–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, 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 A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

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 21st-century American sportsmen Atlanta Falcons players