Khari Lee (born January 16, 1992) is an American former professional football tight end. He played college football at Bowie State.

Khari Lee
refer to caption
Lee with the Chicago Bears in 2015
No. 86, 82, 88
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1992-01-16) January 16, 1992 (age 32)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Western Tech
(Catonsville, Maryland)
College:Bowie State
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:12
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Professional career

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Houston Texans

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Lee was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2015.[1]

He was featured on the Texans' season of Hard Knocks, notable for his impersonation of then head coach Bill O'Brien.[2][3]

Chicago Bears

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Lee was traded from the Texans to the Chicago Bears for a sixth round pick in the 2017 NFL draft on September 2, 2015.[4] On September 4, 2016, Lee was waived by the Bears.[5]

Detroit Lions (first stint)

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Lee was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on September 6, 2016.[6] He was released by the Lions on November 8, 2016, and was signed to the practice squad.[7][8] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on January 9, 2017.[9]

On September 2, 2017, Lee was waived by the Lions.[10]

Buffalo Bills

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On September 3, 2017, Lee was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills.[11]

On October 6, 2018, Lee was waived by the Bills.[12]

DC Defenders

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In October 2019, Lee was selected by the DC Defenders of the XFL in the fifth round in the 2020 XFL draft.[13] Despite being best utilized as a blocker during his NFL career,[14] Lee caught all eight of his targets, turning those eight receptions into 91 yards and two touchdowns in the shortened five-game 2020 season.[15]

On March 12, 2020, the XFL canceled the remainder of the 2020 season and allowed its players to sign with NFL teams.[16] Lee was placed on the reserve/other league list on March 25, 2020.[17] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[18] During his time in the XFL, Pro Football Focus named Lee as its highest graded tight end.[19]

Atlanta Falcons

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On March 25, 2020, Lee signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.[15] On September 3, 2020, he was released with an injury settlement.[20]

Detroit Lions (second stint)

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On November 4, 2020, Lee was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad.[21] He was released on November 10.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Bowie State tight end Khari Lee signing with Houston Texans". BaltimoreSun.com. May 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Report: Texans deal 'Hard Knocks' star Khari Lee to Bears".
  3. ^ "Texans rookie Khari Lee does spot-on impression of Bill O'Brien on 'Hard Knocks' | Sporting News". August 26, 2015.
  4. ^ Patra, Kevin. "Texans trade TE Khari Lee to Bears". NFL.com.
  5. ^ Mayer, Larry. "Bears sign Paulsen, claim 2 off waivers". ChicagoBears.com.
  6. ^ "Lions awarded TE Khari Lee via waivers, place LB Jon Bostic on Reserve/Injured". DetroitLions.com. September 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Lions activate WR Corey Fuller from PUP, waive TE Khari Lee". DetroitLions.com. November 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "Lions Re-Sign TE Khari Lee To Practice Squad, Cut CB D'Joun Smith". NFL Trade Rumors. November 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "Lions sign nine players to Reserve/Future List". DetroitLions.com. January 9, 2017.
  10. ^ "Lions establish 53-man roster". DetroitLions.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
  11. ^ Brown, Chris (September 3, 2017). "Bills part ways with RB Williams, WR Brown, LB Hodges; awarded claims on three players". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018.
  12. ^ Brown, Chris (October 6, 2018). "Bills promote S Marlowe from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com.
  13. ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  14. ^ "2018 Buffalo Bills scouting report: Tight end Khari Lee". June 16, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Falcons agree to terms with former XFL tight end on one-year deal". atlantafalcons.com. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "XFL Statement". XFL.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  17. ^ "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  19. ^ @XFL2023 (April 8, 2020). "The grades are in. ⁣⁣Take a look at the highest-graded players of the season according to @PFF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ McFadden, Will (September 3, 2020). "Falcons release Khari Lee with injury settlement". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  21. ^ Schlitt, Erik (November 4, 2020). "Detroit Lions sign TE Khari Lee to the practice squad, release RB Dalyn Dawkins". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  22. ^ Schlitt, Erik (November 10, 2020). "Lions activate Jalen Elliott from reserve/COVID-19, release Khari Lee from practice squad". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
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