Former Rams DT Chris Hovan pursuing a coaching career

You can be excused for forgetting that the St. Louis Rams signed free agent DT Chris Hovan this time last year. Tampa Bay dropped him after drafting Gerald McCoy. With training camp not even two weeks underway, the Rams put Hovan on injured reserve because of a bad back.

Hovan probably wasn't much more than depth for the Rams had he stayed healthy. Prior to coming to the Rams, Hovan had never really missed significant time because of injuries. That's a frightening reminder of just how much the Rams do need some help on the DL. Fred Robbins is 34, and while he was healthy, Hovan is a reminder that injuries can sneak up on an NFL lineman in his mid-thirties. 

If Hovan chooses to return to the NFL, he'll be a free agent. It sounds as though he's already moving on with the next stage of his football career. This spring, he became a football coach at Chamberlain High School, somewhere in Florida. Over summer break Hovan is working as an intern with the strength and conditioning program at the University of South Florida.