Raymond Calais Jr.[1] (born April 2, 1998) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, DC Defenders, and Michigan Panthers.

Raymond Calais
Personal information
Born: (1998-04-02) April 2, 1998 (age 26)
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:Cecilia (St. Martin Parish, Louisiana)
College:Louisiana (2016–2019)
Position:Running back
NFL draft:2020 / round: 7 / pick: 245
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Return yards:152
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early years

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In his last year of high school at Cecilia High School, he was named the Louisiana Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year after winning state in four different categories at the 4A level: individually in the 100 meter and 200 meter races, and as part of a team in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.[2] He was rated as a two star football recruit before committing to Louisiana-Lafayette,[3] choosing the Ragin' Cajuns over Louisiana-Monroe.[4]

College career

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During his senior season at Louisiana, Calais rushed for 886 yards on 117 attempts, recording six touchdowns.[5] Calais also had 541 kick return yards for a Sun Belt Conference-best 28.5 yards per attempt.[6] He earned First-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as a return specialist and was Third-team as a running back. In his college career, he rushed for a total of 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns and made 15 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown.[5] After his senior season, Calais participated in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[4]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 7+78 in
(1.72 m)
188 lb
(85 kg)
30 in
(0.76 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
4.42 s 1.56 s 2.60 s 37.5 in
(0.95 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
20 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Calais was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 245th pick in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft.[5] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on July 31, 2020,[9] and was activated six days later.[10] He was waived by the Buccaneers on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the following day.[11][12]

Los Angeles Rams

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On September 9, 2020, Calais was signed by the Los Angeles Rams off the Buccaneers' practice squad.[13] He was placed on injured reserve on January 8, 2021.[14] He was waived/injured on August 23, 2021, and placed on injured reserve.[15] Calais won Super Bowl LVI when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.[16] Calais was waived on August 20, 2022.[17]

DC Defenders

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Calais signed with the DC Defenders of the XFL on March 14, 2023.[18] Calais played in only one game for the Defenders, rushing once for a loss of four yards. He was released on April 5.[18]

BC Lions

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On April 19, 2023, Calais signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[19] He was an early cut at training camp and released on May 17, 2023.[20]

Michigan Panthers

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On November 6, 2023, Calais signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).[21] He was placed on the team's suspended list on March 10, 2024.[22] He was waived on July 18, 2024.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Buckley, Tim (April 20, 2020). "UL's Calais on the fast track heading into 2020 NFL Draft". The Advertiser. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "Raymond Calais named Louisiana Track & Field Athlete of the Year". Daily Advertiser. June 24, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Raymond Calais, Cecilia, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). The Athletic. p. 27. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Bucs Round Out 2020 Draft with Louisiana-Lafayette RB Raymond Calais". Buccaneers.com. April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Lewis, Seth (April 26, 2020). "Dotson, Calais Selected in 2020 NFL Draft". KATC. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  7. ^ "Raymond Calais Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Raymond Calais, Louisiana NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Smith, Scott (July 31, 2020). "Buccaneers Place RBs Calais, Ware on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Smith, Scott (August 6, 2020). "Raymond Calais' Return Among Bucs' Roster Moves". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Smith, Scott (September 5, 2020). "Matt Gay, A.Q. Shipley Among Cuts to Get to 53". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. ^ Smith, Scott (September 6, 2020). "Bucs Get Draft Picks Back on Super-Sized Practice Squad". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Jackson, Stu (September 9, 2020). "Rams place Terrell Lewis on Reserve/Non-Football Injury list". Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  14. ^ "Rams' Raymond Calais: Lands on IR". CBSSports.com. January 8, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Simmons, Myles (August 23, 2021). "Rams waive Devlin Hodges, Paris Ford, Raymond Calais". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  16. ^ Schwartz, Paul (February 13, 2021). "LA Rams defeat Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl 2022". New York Post. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  17. ^ Jackson, Stu (August 20, 2022). "Rams waive five players ahead of Aug. 23 roster reduction deadline". TheRams.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  19. ^ "Lions Add RB Raymond Calais, WR Cole Blackman To Camp Roster". BC Lions. April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Lions Announce Roster Cuts". OurSports Central. May 17, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  21. ^ @USFLPanthers (November 6, 2023). "Free Agent Signings" (Tweet). Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "UFL Player Transactions, Sunday March 10, 2024". UFLBoard.com. March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  23. ^ @UFL_PR (July 18, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions:" (Tweet). Retrieved July 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
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