Sean McKeon (born December 28, 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 ...

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 ...

for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

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

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

. He previously 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Early life

McKeon attended Shepherd Hill Regional High School. As a sophomore, he only played as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, totaling 38 tackles (3 for loss), 2 sacks, one pass defensed, one fumble recovery and one blocked a field goal. As a junior, he was a two-way player at

and

, contributing to the team having a 10–2 record and winning the Division 4 Central Region state championship. As a senior, he played in a run-oriented offense, tallying 23 receptions for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also making 57 tackles (11 for loss), 8 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 blocked field goals. He was a two-time USA Today All-State, ESPN Boston All-State, Suite Sports Central Massachusetts All-Star, Central Massachusetts All-Star and Max Prep All-State selection.

College career

McKeon accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. As a true freshman, he appeared in 4 games as a backup

behind

Jake Butt Jonathan Duane "Jake" Butt (born July 11, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan. He was ...

. He made 2 receptions for 10 yards. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 13 games with 10 starts at tight end. He registered 31 receptions (led the team), 301 receiving yards (second on the team) and 3 receiving touchdowns (led the team). He had 5 receptions for 82 yards against

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. As a junior, he appeared in all 13 games as a backup tight end behind

Zach Gentry Zach Gentry (born September 10, 1996) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. Early life Gentry was a star quarterback for Eldorado High School in his hometown of Albuquerque, New ...

. He was used mostly for blocking purposes and on the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

units, posting 14 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown. As a senior, he appeared in 10 games with 7 starts, while sharing the

duties with

Nick Eubanks Nick Eubanks (born November 21, 1996) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Early life and education Nick Eubanks wa ...

. He missed 3 games with a leg injury he suffered against the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. He was used mostly for blocking purposes and on the special teams units, collecting 13 receptions (sixth on the team) for 235 yards (sixth on the team) and 2 receiving touchdowns (fourth on the team).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

McKeon was signed 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 ...

by the

after 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 ...

on April 27. The team made the unconventional move of keeping him as the fourth tight end to avoid losing him to waivers. He became the third-string tight end, after the starter

Blake Jarwin Blake Jarwin (born July 16, 1994) is an American former professional American football, football tight end. He played college football at Oklahoma State Cowboys football, Oklahoma State and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free age ...

suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He appeared in 14 games with one start and played mainly on special teams. In Week 7, he started against 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. ...

when the team opened the game with a three tight end formation. In 2021, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the second preseason game against 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 ...

. On September 2, 2021, McKeon was 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 ...

with an ankle injury. He missed the first 7 games while recovering from the injury and was activated on November 3, 2021. On November 14, 2021, McKeon registered his first NFL reception while playing against his former High School teammate,

Chris Lindstrom Christopher Paul Lindstrom (born February 28, 1997) is an American professional football guard for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles. Early life Lindstrom attende ...

and 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. On Thanksgiving Day, he caught his first career receiving touchdown, a 10 yard pass from

Dak Prescott Rayne Dakota Prescott (; born July 29, 1993) is an American professional football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team ...

against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. In the span of 9 games (2 starts), McKeon recorded 4 catches of 27 and a touchdown. He was the team's third-string

behind

Dalton Schultz Dalton Chase Schultz (born July 11, 1996) is an American professional football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Cowboys in the fo ...

and Jeremy Sprinkle. In 2022, with the departure of Jarwin, he was competing for the backup tight end position behind Schultz, but fell on the depth chart behind rookies

Jake Ferguson Jonathan Quinn "Jake" Ferguson (born January 18, 1999) is an American professional football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Cowb ...

and Peyton Hendershot during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. On August 30, 2022, McKeon was waived by the Cowboys and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 29. He appeared in 13 games, making 2 receptions for 11 yards. On August 29, 2023, McKeon was waived by the Cowboys and re-signed to the practice squad. On October 12, McKeon was signed to the active roster to provide depth after an injury to Hendershot. He was placed on injured reserve on December 6, which coincided with Hendershot return to the lineup. He appeared in 9 games and did not record any stats. He was not re-signed after the season.

Detroit Lions

On May 16, 2024, McKeon signed with 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 ...

. He was released on August 27.

Indianapolis Colts

McKeon was signed to the

' practice squad on August 29, 2024. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2025.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bio

Michigan Wolverines bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKeon, Sean 1997 births Living people People from Dudley, Massachusetts Players of American football from Worcester County, Massachusetts American football tight ends Michigan Wolverines football players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players