Deon Yelder (born March 6, 1995) 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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

who is a free agent. 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 ...

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

and signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2018. Yelder won a Super Bowl title as part of 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 ...

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...

Early life

Yelder was born and raised in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

and attended Southern High School. He originally only played basketball at Southern and did not play

until his junior year.

College career

Yelder began his career at

as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

and

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his freshman season. He saw his first collegiate action during his redshirt sophomore season, playing special teams, and did not catch his first career pass until his redshirt junior season. He earned a scholarship going into his redshirt senior season and finished the season with 52 receptions for 688 yards and eight total touchdowns and was named third-team All-

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

. Yelder's performance earned him an invitation to the 2017

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl was a postseason college football all-star game for National Football League Draft-eligible players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). In ...

and a late invitation to the 2017

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, where he scored a touchdown on a one-yard reception from quarterback

Kyle Lauletta Kyle James Lauletta (born March 17, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Richmond Spiders and was selected by the New York Gian ...

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Yelder was signed by the

as an

on May 2, 2018, and received a signing bonus of $90,000. He was cut at the end of training camp and subsequently re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 2, 2018. Yelder was released by the Saints on October 3, 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs

Yelder was signed to the

practice squad on October 4, 2018. He was promoted by the Chiefs to the active roster on October 23, 2018. Yelder made NFL debut on October 28, 2018, in a 30–23 win against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, appearing on special teams. He appeared in three games on special teams during his rookie season. Yelder caught his first career pass, a 24-yard reception from

Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II ( ; born September 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game app ...

, in a 34–30 win over the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

in 2019. He played in all three of the Chiefs playoff games, catching a pass for 11 yards in the team's Divisional Round win over the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

and playing in the Chiefs' victory over the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. Yelder signed a one-year exclusive-rights free agent tender with the Chiefs on April 20, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on January 16, 2021. On February 6, 2021, Yelder was activated off of injured reserve ahead of

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

Washington Football Team

Yelder signed with the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

on May 5, 2021, but was waived prior to the season on July 27, 2021.

Tennessee Titans

Yelder signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

on August 15, 2021, but was waived the next day.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 1, 2021, Yelder signed with the

practice squad. He was released on November 10.

New York Giants

On November 25, 2021, Yelder signed 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

practice squad. His contract expired when the teams season ended on January 9, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On January 19, 2022, Yelder signed a reserve/future contract with the

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 ...

. He was released on August 19.

San Antonio Brahmas

The

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

selected Yelder in the 13th round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft on January 1, 2023. He was removed from the roster on September 1, 2023.

References

External links

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yelder, Deon 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Louisville, Kentucky American football tight ends Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football players New Orleans Saints players Kansas City Chiefs players Washington Football Team players Tennessee Titans players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New York Giants players Arizona Cardinals players San Antonio Brahmas players