C.J. Saunders (born September 15, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Ohio State.

C. J. Saunders
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-15) September 15, 1996 (age 28)
Dublin, Ohio, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Dublin Coffman (OH)
College:Ohio State (2015–2019)
Position:Wide receiver
Undrafted:2020
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Saunders was unranked by 247Sports.com coming out of high school.[1] He committed to Ohio State as a walk-on before the 2015 season.[2] After getting the opportunity to play sporadically for the team, he applied for and was denied a sixth year of eligibility.[3]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+34 in
(1.77 m)
179 lb
(81 kg)
31+14 in
(0.79 m)
9+58 in
(0.24 m)
4.70 s 1.62 s 2.72 s 4.15 s 7.10 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)
9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)
8 reps
All values from Pro Day[4]

After spending a year as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, Saunders had a mini-camp tryout with the Atlanta Falcons in May 2021.[5][6]

Carolina Panthers

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On June 1, 2021, Saunders signed with the Carolina Panthers.[7] He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[8][9] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 10, 2022.[10]

On August 30, 2022, Saunders was waived by the Panthers and re-signed to the practice squad.[11] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[12] He was released on August 26, 2023.[13]

Atlanta Falcons

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On August 31, 2023, Saunders was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.[14] He was released on October 11, 2023.[15]

Coaching career

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Saunders coached as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2020 after he was denied a sixth–year of eligibility.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "C. J. Saunders Recruiting Profile". 247Sports.com.
  2. ^ "C. J. Saunders 247". 247Sports.com.
  3. ^ Kurelic, Bill. "NCAA denies C.J. Saunders 6th year of eligibility". Bucknuts.
  4. ^ "2021 NFL Draft Scout C.J. Saunders College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Murphy, Patrick. "Former Ohio State receiver C.J. Saunders receives invite to Atlanta Falcons rookie camp". Bucknuts.
  6. ^ Baird, Nathan (May 11, 2021). "Former Ohio State football receiver C.J. Saunders gets NFL opportunity in Atlanta Falcons' mini camp". Cleveland.com.
  7. ^ Bryan, Will (June 1, 2021). "Panthers sign former Ohio State WR C.J. Saunders; waive Tommy Stevens". Panthers.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  8. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 31, 2021). "Panthers reduce roster on Tuesday morning". Panthers.com.
  9. ^ Gantt, Darin (September 1, 2021). "Panthers announce practice squad signings on Wednesday". Panthers.com.
  10. ^ Gantt, Darin (January 10, 2022). "Panthers sign 10, including quarterback P.J. Walker". Panthers.com.
  11. ^ "Panthers make transactions to get to initial 53-man roster". Panthers.com. August 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Gantt, Darin (January 9, 2023). "Panthers sign nine players on Monday". Panthers.com.
  13. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 26, 2023). "Panthers waive 11 players Saturday". Panthers.com.
  14. ^ Bair, Scott (August 31, 2023). "Falcons sign two players more to practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  15. ^ Bouda, Nate (October 11, 2023). "NFL Transactions: Wednesday 10/11". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Baird, Nathan (August 4, 2020). "Ohio State football's C.J. Saunders denied sixth year of eligibility, will instead join coaching staff". Bucknuts.
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