Joshua Perkins (born August 5, 1993) is an
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 with ...
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. Like ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
and was signed by the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
as an
undrafted 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 ...
in 2016.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
After going undrafted in the
2016 NFL draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
, Perkins signed with the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
on May 5, 2016. He made his first start in Week 16 against their
NFC South
The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...
rival
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
and caught his first career
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
on a 26-yard pass from
Matt Ryan.
Perkins and the Falcons reached
Super Bowl LI, where they faced the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. In the Super Bowl, the Falcons fell in a 34–28 overtime defeat.
On September 2, 2017, Perkins was waived by the Falcons and was signed to their
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, ...
the next day. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on October 11, 2017. He was released on January 10, 2018.
Philadelphia Eagles
On January 15, 2018, Perkins signed a reserve/future contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. He played in nine games in 2018 before being placed on
injured reserve
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 ...
on November 16, 2018.
Perkins was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the team's active roster on November 30, 2019. On December 9, Perkins had five catches for 37 yards against 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. ...
, including a 13-yard catch in overtime. In week 17 of the 2019 season Perkins caught his first touchdown since 2016 after catching a 24 yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Carson Wentz, the touchdown pass helped the Eagles win 34-17 over the Giants and capture the
NFC East
The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys ...
title while Perkins finished the game catching 4 passes for a touchdown, and 50 yards.
On August 26, 2020, Perkins was placed on injured reserve.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 4, 2021, Perkins signed a one-year contract with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-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 of the league's National ...
. Perkins was released on August 17, 2021.
New York Jets
On December 29, 2021, Perkins was signed to 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
practice squad.
Seattle Sea Dragons
On November 17, 2022, Perkins was drafted by the
Seattle Sea Dragons
The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founded ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
.
Perkins never played a snap for the Sea Dragons and was removed from the roster on May 2, 2023.
References
External links
Washington Huskies bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Joshua
1993 births
Living people
American football tight ends
Sportspeople from Carson, California
Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California
Atlanta Falcons players
New York Jets players
Philadelphia Eagles players
San Francisco 49ers players
Seattle Sea Dragons players
Washington Huskies football players
Gahr High School alumni