Gerald Christian (born August 26, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) and Alliance of American Football (AAF). He was Mr. Irrelevant in 2015 when he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 256th pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He played college football at Louisville. His brother, Geron Christian, also played college football at Louisville and in the NFL.
 Christian with the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 | |||||||
| No. 83, 87 | |||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | August 26, 1991 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | William T. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) | ||||||
| College: | Louisville | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2015 / round: 7 / pick: 256 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editChristian attended William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
College career
editChristian played for the Florida Gators from 2010 to 2011 and Louisville from 2012 to 2014. In his senior season in 2014, Christian caught 32 passes for 384 yards and five touchdowns. He was named third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[1]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
244 lb (111 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
4.87 s | 1.73 s | 2.84 s | 4.70 s | 7.62 s | 28 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
Arizona Cardinals (first stint)
editChristian was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the final pick of the 7th round (256th overall pick) in the 2015 NFL draft, making him Mr. Irrelevant.[3] Cardinals teammate Chandler Harnish, who was Mr. Irrelevant in 2012, announced the pick.[1] On September 3, 2015, in the Cardinals' final preseason game against the Denver Broncos, Christian tore the MCL in his left knee. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve the next day. He went to the Cardinals' training camp in 2016, but he was released on August 29, 2016.[4]
Buffalo Bills
editOn September 7, 2016, Christian was signed to the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills.[5] He was promoted to the active roster on October 4, 2016.[6] He was released on October 21, 2016, and was re-signed to the practice squad on October 25.[7] He was elevated back to the active roster on October 28, 2016.[8] He was released by the Bills on November 26, 2016, and was re-signed to the practice squad.[9][10] He was promoted back to the active roster on December 3, 2016.[11] In the three games Christian was activated, he had one reception for 14 yards.
On March 6, 2017, Christian was released by the Bills.[12]
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
editOn July 27, 2017, shortly before the summer training camp, Christian was signed by the Cardinals.[13] He was waived at the end of training camp on September 2, 2017.[14]
Arizona Hotshots
editIn November 2018, Christian signed with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football, before the league's first (and only) season in the late winter of 2019. He eventually joined the Arizona Hotshots instead.[15][16]
The league ceased operations in April 2019, 8 weeks into a scheduled 10-game regular season. Christian played in all 8 of the Hotshots' games, making 14 catches for 158 yards and scoring 1 touchdown.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b Wesseling, Chris (May 2, 2015). "Christian becomes Mr. Irrelevant in 2015 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ "Gerald Christian - #19 TE". nfldraftscout.com.
- ^ "2015 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ Fouhy, Craig (September 5, 2015). "Arizona Cardinals make final roster cuts; team reduces roster to NFL mandated 53". abc15.com. ABC. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "Bills sign TE Gerald Christian & DT Deandre Coleman to practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Chris (October 4, 2016). "Bills release TE Dray; promote TE Christian from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Chris (October 25, 2016). "Bills elevate practice squad WR Eagan to active roster". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017.
- ^ Brown, Chris (October 28, 2016). "Bills elevate TE Christian to the 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Chris (November 26, 2016). "Sammy Watkins added to active roster; Expected to play Sunday". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Chris (November 29, 2016). "DT Bryant, WR Powell to I-R; Bills call up WR Lewis, DT Coleman". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ "Bills promote TE Gerald Christian to 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com. December 3, 2016. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Chris (March 6, 2017). "Bills release Carpenter, Robey-Coleman in handful of cuts". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018.
- ^ Williams, Charean (July 27, 2017). "Cardinals make moves, including signing TE Gerald Christian". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- ^ Urban, Darren (September 2, 2017). "Cardinals Make Moves To Reach 53-Man Roster". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
- ^ Goldkamp, Thomas (November 27, 2018). "Twelve former Gators looking to relaunch careers in AAF". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Root, Jess (January 31, 2019). "14 former end-of-roster, practice squad Cardinals on AAF's Arizona Hotshots". USA Today. Cards Wire. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Gerald Christian at Wikimedia Commons