William Scott Chandler (born July 23, 1985) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

. He played college football at

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

Early years

Chandler played in high school in Texas at Southlake Carroll. As a senior, he helped his team achieve an undefeated season (16–0 record) and the Class 5A Division II state title. He registered 68 catches for 1,203 yards and 18 touchdowns, while receiving All-district and honorable-mention All-state honors.

College career

Chandler played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 2004-2006. In his first year, he recorded 24 catches for 324 yards and averaged 13.5 yards per catch with two touchdowns. After his sophomore year, his production increased to 47 catches for 552 yards and two touchdowns. As a junior, he led the team with 47 receptions for 552 yards and 2 touchdowns. In his last season, he posted 46 receptions for 591 yards and 6 touchdowns. He left school ranked second in school history among tight ends with 117 catches for 1,476 yards.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

Chandler was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he played in only one game and didn't register any statistics. The next year, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

after hurting his toe in the final preseason game. He was waived on April 27, 2009.

Dallas Cowboys

Chandler signed with the

on May 28, 2009. He was waived during final cuts on September 5 and re-signed to the practice squad.

New York Giants

Chandler was signed off the

' practice squad by the New York Giants on December 22, 2009. He was waived on September 4.

Second stint with Cowboys

After being waived by New York, Chandler was re-signed to the Cowboys' practice squad. On September 24, he was signed to the Cowboys active roster. He was cut on December 1, to make room for Martin Rucker.

Buffalo Bills

After being waived by Dallas, Chandler was signed by the Buffalo Bills on December 2, 2010. On September 11, 2011, Chandler made his first career start 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

, recording 5 catches for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns. He appeared in 14 games (9 starts), registering 38 receptions for 389 yards and tying a team record for a tight end with 6 receiving touchdowns in a season (

Pete Metzelaars Peter Henry Metzelaars (born May 24, 1960) is a former American football tight end who played for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Detroit Lions in a sixteen-year career in the National Football League. Following his pl ...

- 1992 and Jay Riemersma - 1998). The next year, he played in 15 games (3 starts), posting 43 receptions for 571 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 2013, he played in 16 games (7 starts), leading the team with 53 receptions and 655 receiving yards. On March 13, 2014, Chandler signed a two-year contract extension. In 2014, he played 16 games (5 starts), recording 47 receptions for 497 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the same season, he became the first Bills tight end to surpass 1000 receiving yards since

in 1992 and became the fourth tight end in franchise history to reach 150 career receptions. He was released on March 11, 2015.

New England Patriots

Chandler signed with the New England Patriots as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on March 13, 2015. He appeared in 15 games (4 starts), posting 23 receptions for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was released by the Patriots on March 2, 2016. Later, it was revealed that the reason for the release was a failed physical stemming from a knee injury suffered early in the season that he played with throughout the year. According to Chandler's Facebook profile, the injury was career ending.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Chandler is married to Alissa Chandler, with whom he has four children. His older brother, Nathan, was the starting quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2003. He also has two sisters, Caitlin and Deborah, who played college basketball. His brother-in-law, Derek LaFargue, played football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

References

External links

*
Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Scott 1985 births Living people People from Bedford, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football tight ends Iowa Hawkeyes football players San Diego Chargers players Dallas Cowboys players New York Giants players Buffalo Bills players New England Patriots players