Joseph Matthew Gaziano (born September 27, 1996) is an American professional football defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern.
 Gaziano with Northwestern in 2018 | |||||||||
| No. 97 – Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | September 27, 1996 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Xaverian Brothers (Westwood, Massachusetts) | ||||||||
| College: | Northwestern (2015–2019) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
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Early life
editGaziano grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts and attended Xaverian Brothers High School, where he played football and lacrosse.[1] He was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after recording 21 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.[2]
College career
editGaziano was a member of the Northwestern Wildcats for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman year.[3] He finished his collegiate career with school records of 30 sacks and 10 forced fumbles and second all-time with 48.5 tackles for loss with 153 total tackles, four fumbles recovered, 15 passes defended and a blocked kick in 52 games played.[4]
Professional career
edit| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) |
282 lb (128 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
5.10 s | 1.68 s | 2.85 s | 4.61 s | 7.50 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
25 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Chargers
editGaziano was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2020.[6] He was waived at the end of training camp during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020,[7] and signed to the practice squad on September 10, 2020.[8] He was elevated to the active roster on October 12 and December 26 for the team's weeks 5 and 16 games against the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[9][10] On January 1, 2021, Gaziano was signed to the active roster.[11]
On August 31, 2021, Gaziano was waived by the Chargers and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[12][13] He was activated for the Chargers' week 2 game against the Cowboys. He was signed to the active roster on October 1.[14]
On August 30, 2022, Gaziano was waived by the Chargers and signed to the practice squad the next day.[15][16] He was promoted to the active roster on November 19.[17] He was placed on injured reserve on December 21.[18]
Atlanta Falcons
editOn March 27, 2023, Gaziano signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.[19]
Jacksonville Jaguars
editOn August 16, 2024, Gaziano signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.[20] He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ Barboza, Scott (November 26, 2014). "Xaverian captain savors the moment". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Xaverian's Joe Gaziano named Gatorade Player of the Year". Boston Herald. December 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Mandel, Stewart (December 28, 2017). "Music City Bowl: Northwestern's Joe Gaziano is adding new fame to family name". The Athletic. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (April 27, 2020). "NU's Joe Gaziano signs with L.A. Chargers as undrafted free agent". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Joe Gaziano, Northwestern, DE, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ Dudek, Greg (April 25, 2020). "Joe Gaziano heads West, signs free agent contract with Chargers". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "We've Trimmed Our Roster to 53". Chargers.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Peterson, Michael (September 10, 2020). "Chargers sign DE Joe Gaziano to practice squad". BoltsFromTheBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Chargers Activate DE Joe Gaziano and RB Troymaine Pope". Chargers.com. October 12, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Jessie Lemonier to Active Roster; Place Uchenna Nwosu on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. December 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Make Roster Moves Prior to Sunday's Game". Chargers.com. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "Chargers Reduce Roster to 53". Chargers.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Chargers Announce Practice Squad and Claim Two Players Off Waivers". Chargers.com. September 1, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Joe Gaziano to Active Roster". Chargers.com. October 1, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players". Chargers.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Cothrel, Nicholas (August 31, 2022). "Chargers Sign 14 Players to Practice Squad". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Chargers Announce Roster Moves Before Week 11 Contest". Chargers.com. November 19, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Cothrel, Nicholas (December 22, 2022). "Chargers Place DL Joe Gaziano on Injured Reserve, Make Three Other Roster Moves". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ McElhaney, Tori (March 27, 2023). "Falcons sign defensive end Joe Gaziano to one-year deal". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Sign DE Joe Gaziano, Release DE Rasheem Green". Jaguars.com. August 16, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Roster Moves: Jacksonville Jaguars Make The Following Roster Moves Hours Before 2024 Roster Deadline". Jaguars.com. August 27, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Announce Additions to the 2024 Practice Squad". Jaguars.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.