Devin Duvernay (born September 12, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

and was selected by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in the third round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

. Duvernay has earned

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

honors twice and was a First-team All-Pro in 2021 for his play as a return specialist. Duvernay has also played for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

Early life

Duvernay attended

Sachse High School Sachse High School is a public high school located in Sachse, Texas, United States. Sachse High School enrolls students in grades 9– 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The first graduating class was the charter class ...

Sachse, Texas Sachse ( ) is a city in Collin and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Texas and is part of the DFW metroplex. A northeastern suburb of Dallas, the city population was 27,103, as of the 2020 census with an estimated population of 33,768 peopl ...

. During his

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

career, he had 170 receptions for 2,906 yards and 36

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. He also holds the school record for longest kickoff return touchdown with 109 yards, a feat he accomplished as a sophomore. He played in the 2016

Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game wa ...

. Duvernay originally committed to

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

to play

but switched to the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

College career

As a true freshman at Texas in 2016, Duvernay played in all 12 games with two starts. He had 20 receptions for 412 yards and three touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in all 13 games recording nine receptions for 124 yards. As a junior in 2018, he started all 14 games. For the season, he had 41 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns. Duvernay returned to Texas his senior year in 2019 as the number one receiver compiling 1,386 yards receiving as well as nine touchdowns on 106 receptions.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

2020 season

Duvernay was selected by the

in the third round with the 92nd overall pick in the

. Duvernay made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and recorded a 12-yard reception in the 38–6 victory. In Week 3 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, he recorded a 93-yard kickoff return for his first career touchdown in the 20–34 loss. In Week 5 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, he had a 42-yard rush on a jet sweep to go along with two catches for 17 yards as the Ravens won 27–3. He had three catches for a season-high 45 yards in a 17–23 Week 10 loss to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

2021 season

Duvernay had a slightly more active role at the beginning of the 2021 season due to injuries to Miles Boykin and Rashod Bateman. In Week 2 against the Chiefs, Duvernay recovered a fumble by teammate Ty'Son Williams at the Kansas City two yard line and scored a touchdown. The Ravens would win 36–35. The next week against the Detroit Lions, he had first career receiving touchdown on a 19-yard reception in a 19–17 win. In Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, Duvernay recorded his second receiving touchdown on a five-yard reception that he caught one-handed. The Ravens would win 34–31 in overtime. Duvernay was selected to his first pro bowl as a return specialist at the end of the season.

2022 season

The trade of

Marquise Brown Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (born June 4, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at College of the Canyons before transferring to the O ...

during the offseason setup Duvernay to be a full-time starter at wide receiver along with Rashod Bateman. He recorded his first multi-touchdown game of his career in 24–9 win Week 1 over the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, finishing the game with four receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns. The next week against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, he returned the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. He also had two receptions for 42 yards, but the Ravens would lose, 38–42. He was placed on injured reserve on December 20, 2022, after suffering a severe foot injury during a practice session. Duvernay finished the season with a career-high 49 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns and was selected to his second pro bowl as a return specialist at the end of the season.

2023 season

The signings of

Odell Beckham Jr. Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr. (born November 5, 1992), commonly known by his initials OBJ, is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the LSU Tigers football, LSU Tigers and was selected ...

and

Nelson Agholor Nelson Efamehule Agholor (born May 24, 1993) is a Nigerian-American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. During h ...

, the drafting of Zay Flowers, and the return of Rashod Bateman relegated Duvernay back to being primary as a return specialist. He suffered a back injury in Week 14 and was placed on IR shortly thereafter. He was activated off IR on January 10, 2024.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 13, 2024, Duvernay signed a two-year contract with the

. On March 12, 2025, Duvernay was released by Jacksonville.

Chicago Bears

On March 19, 2025, Duvernay signed a one-year contract with the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Duvernay is the cousin of

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Kyler Murray Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Texas A&M Aggies, Murray played for the ...

as well as having a twin brother named Donovan who also played

for the

as a defensive back. Donovan transferred to

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville/Fort Jo ...

for his senior season.

References

External links

Chicago Bears bioTexas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duvernay, Devin 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Collin County, Texas Players of American football from Denton County, Texas American football wide receivers Texas Longhorns football players Baltimore Ravens players Chicago Bears players Jacksonville Jaguars players American Conference Pro Bowl players