According to Rogers Sportsnet on Monday, the Buffalo Bills have signed Canadian outside linebacker Michael Hoecht of Oakville, Ontario. The terms of the contract are three years and $24 million. Hoecht was one of two Canadians who signed with the Bills on Monday. The other was Josh Palmer of Toronto, Ontario. Ironically, Palmer and Hoecht played for Los Angeles-based teams last season. Palmer was with the Los Angeles Chargers and Hoecht was with the Los Angeles Rams.
Hoecht has spent the last four seasons with the Rams and won a Super Bowl with Los Angeles in 2022. This past season, Hoecht had 56 combined tackles (32 assisted tackles and 24 solo tackles), six quarterback hits, four tackles for a loss, three sacks and two pass deflections. The two pass deflections came in Rams wins. The first came on October 20 in a 20-15 Rams win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The second came on November 17 in a 28-22 Rams win over the New England Patriots.
In Hoecht’s career, he has 180 combined tackles (98 solo tackles and 82 assisted tackles), 26 quarterback hits, 15 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks, four pass deflections and two forced fumbles. In Super Bowl LVI, the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. In the game, Hoecht had three combined tackles (two solo tackles and one assisted tackle).
