Davon Coleman (born January 11, 1991) is an American
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
who is a
free agent. He most recently played for the
Ottawa Redblacks of the
Canadian Football League (CFL). In college, he first enrolled at
Fort Scott Community College before transferring to
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
. He has also been a member of four
National Football League (NFL) teams (
Dallas Cowboys,
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and three other CFL teams (
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
,
BC Lions,
Toronto Argonauts).
Early years
Coleman attended
Glenville High School. As a senior, he received honorable-mention All-Ohio honors. He also practiced
wrestling.
College career
Coleman enrolled a
Fort Scott Community College. As a
redshirt freshman, he tallied 65 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two passes defensed and one interception. He transferred to
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
after the season.
As a sophomore, he appeared in 13 games with 3 starts. He collected 42 tackles (5 for loss), 2.5 sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. He had 5 tackles against the
University of Southern California.
As a junior, he played mostly at
defensive end (9 starts). He posted 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss (fifth on the team), 5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one blocked extra point. He had 9 tackles (2 for loss) and one sack filling in for an injured
Will Sutton against the
University of Oregon. He made 10 tackles against the
University of Southern California. He had 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss against
Washington State University.
As a senior, he moved to
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
and started all 13 games. He recorded 58 tackles, 8.5 sacks (tied for the team lead) and 15 tackles for loss (third on the team). Against the
University of Colorado, he had four tackles (2.5 for loss), .5 sacks, forced an intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety and caught a short reception on the goal line from the fullback position for his first career touchdown. He made 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss against the
University of Utah. He had 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss against
UCLA.
He finished his college career with 166 tackles (31 for loss) and 16 sacks in 39 games (22 starts).
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Coleman was signed as an
undrafted free agent by the
Dallas Cowboys after the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
, on May 13. Because of injuries on the
defensive line, he made his
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
debut and first career start in the season opener against the
San Francisco 49ers, recording two tackles. He was active for the first 2 contests, before his progress was slowed after suffering a knee injury in a weight room accident. He was declared inactive for the next 8 games and was eventually waived on November 22. He was signed to the
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on November 24.
Chicago Bears
On December 22, 2015, 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
signed Coleman to the
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On February 5, 2016, he was signed to a futures contract by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On May 17, he was released to make room for
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
A. J. Francis
Anthony Joseph Francis (born May 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed unde ...
.
New York Giants
On July 29, 2016, Coleman signed as a
free agent with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. On August 30, 2016, he was waived by the Giants.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
On April 19, 2017, Coleman signed with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
of the
Canadian Football League. He appeared in 17 games with 16 starts at defensive tackle, while making 41 tackles and 5 sacks.
BC Lions
On May 25, 2018, Coleman was traded along with a 2019 sixth-round pick to the
BC Lions in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick. On November 7, 2018, his contract was extended through the 2019 season. He played in all 18 regular season games, recording 57 defensive tackles, eight sacks, and two interceptions. He was named a CFL All-Star at the end of the season. In 2019, Coleman played in eight games for the Lions, contributing with 13 defensive tackles, two sacks and one interception.
Toronto Argonauts
On August 12, 2019, Coleman was traded to the
Toronto Argonauts along with a conditional 2020 eighth-round draft pick in exchange for
defensive end Shawn Lemon
Shawn Lemon (born August 25, 1988) is a Canadian football defensive lineman who is currently a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Akron and attended Westlake H ...
. He appeared in six games, collecting 16 tackles and two sacks.
Ottawa Redblacks
On February 5, 2021, Coleman signed with the
Ottawa Redblacks. He played in all 14 regular season games in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
where he had 32 defensive tackles and four sacks.
In
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, he recorded 16 defensive tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.
[ He scored his first career touchdown on September 2, 2022, in the Labour Day Classic where he returned a fumble seven yards for the major. He was released on February 24, 2023.]
References
External links
*
Arizona State Sun Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Davon
Living people
1991 births
Sportspeople from Fayetteville, North Carolina
Glenville High School alumni
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
Players of American football from Louisiana
American football defensive tackles
Canadian football defensive linemen
Fort Scott Greyhounds football players
Arizona State Sun Devils football players
Dallas Cowboys players
Chicago Bears players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
New York Giants players
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
BC Lions players
Toronto Argonauts players
Ottawa Redblacks players
21st-century African-American sportspeople