The Houston Roughnecks are set to sign linebacker Christian Sam and place linebacker Gabriel Sewell on the injured reserve list on Tuesday according to Pro Football Newsroom’s James Larsen.
Christian Sam is six foot two and weighs 240 pounds. The 27-year-old from Allen, Texas, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (178th pick) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was on injured reserve when the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams.
Sam also had stints with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and the Jousters (TSL). Next, Sam signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent on July 11, 2022, but did not play in the preseason due to an injury and was released.
Then, the Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) drafted Sam in the 21st round (171st pick) of the 2022 USFL Draft. He played seven games for the Bandits with 53 tackles (35 solo, 18 assists) and one interception before Tampa Bay released him on June 7, 2023.
On the same day, he was acquired off waivers by the New Orleans Breakers playing two games with two tackles (1 solo, 1 assist). In the playoffs, Sam made one tackle (1 solo) against the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL South Divisional Finals. The Arlington Renegades signed Sam on December 8, 2023, but was released on March 21, 2024.
Collegiately, Sam played four seasons at Arizona State (2014-17) with 240 tackles (166 solo, 74 assists), 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three interceptions for 11 yards, seven pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in 40 games for the Sun Devils.
Gabriel Sewell is six foot and weighs 245 pounds. The 27-year-old from Malaeimi, American Samoa, attended the Denver Broncos rookie minicamp but was never offered a contract.
The Philadelphia Stars drafted Sewell in the seventh round (333rd pick) of the 2022 USFL Supplemental Draft. Sewell made 45 tackles (22 solo, 23 assists), one tackle for loss, half a sack, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup in ten games.
In the 2022 playoffs, Sewell made 11 tackles (4 solo, 7 assists), and one pass breakup in two playoff games. In 2023, Sewell made 60 tackles (30 solo, 30 assists), one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble in ten games.
The Houston Roughnecks drafted Sewell in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft. In 2024, Sewell made 20 tackles (9 solo, 11 assists), two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble in seven games but suffered an injury against the San Antonio Brahmas in Week 7.
Collegiately, Sewell played four seasons at Nevada (2016-19) with 283 tackles (159 solo, 124 assists), 21.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in 49 games for the Wolf Pack.
