Aravious "Ray-Ray" Armstrong (born March 5, 1991) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
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 from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...
.
Early years
Armstrong attended
Seminole High School in
Sanford, Florida. He played both
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
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 football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL).
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school ...
's
Miami Northwestern. During that year he threw for 1,400 yards and 14
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
, 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, three forced
fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He was considered the 13th best recruit in 2009 by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
.
College career
Armstrong accepted a football scholarship from the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
. 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 Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...
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 position in American football and Canadian football
** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
. As a sophomore in 2010, Armstrong took over as a starter and has 66 tackles, three
interception
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 ...
s and a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
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. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
History
The university was founded in 1942 by Dr. Rex Turner, Dr. Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as Montgomery Bible S ...
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
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...
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 from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
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 ...
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 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) 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 of the league's National ...
. 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.
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 th ...
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. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
. 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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
after the team placed linebacker
Alex Anzalone 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 th ...
. He appeared in 5 games, playing on
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 ...
. 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
to provide depth because of injuries for the season finale. He had one
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 ...
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. He was not re-signed after the season.
Seattle Seahawks
On October 21, 2020, Armstrong was signed to the
Seattle Seahawks 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 and
New York Jets, 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
Players of American football from Florida
San Francisco 49ers players
Seattle Seahawks players
Seminole High School (Seminole County, Florida) alumni
Sportspeople from Sanford, Florida
St. Louis Rams players