Drew Desjarlais
 Desjarlais with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023 | |
| No. 61 – Ottawa Redblacks | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 24, 1997 Belle River, Ontario, Canada |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 313 lb (142 kg) |
| Career information | |
| University: | Windsor (2015–2018) |
| CFL draft: | 2019 / round: 1 / pick: 4 |
| Undrafted: | 2019 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
| CFL status: | National |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Drew Desjarlais (born April 24, 1997) is a Canadian professional football guard for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Windsor. He has also been a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, as well as the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
University career
[edit]Desjarlais played CIS football for the Windsor Lancers from 2015 to 2018.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Winnipeg Blue Bombers
[edit]Desjarlais was drafted fourth overall in the first round of the 2019 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and signed with the team on May 11, 2019, despite receiving interest from the NFL.[2] He made the team's active roster following training camp and played in his first professional game on June 15, 2019, against the BC Lions.[3] He dressed as a backup for the first eight games of the season before making his first start on August 15, 2019, also against the Lions.[3] He played in all 18 regular season games and started in the last ten games of the season. He also started in all three post-season games in 2019, including in the Blue Bombers' 107th Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[4]
After the 2020 CFL season was cancelled, Desjarlais did not play in 2020. He played in all 14 regular season games in a shortened 2021 season.[3] Desjarlais was named a West Division All-Star at the end of the season.[5] In the post-season, he started both games as the Blue Bombers repeated as Grey Cup champions over the Tiger-Cats in the 108th Grey Cup game.[3] As a pending free agent, Desjarlais was released in order to pursue a contract in the National Football League.[6]
New England Patriots
[edit]On January 27, 2022, Desjarlais signed a reserve/future contract with the New England Patriots.[7] He was waived on August 30, 2022.[8]
New Orleans Saints
[edit]On September 1, 2022, Desjarlais was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad.[9] He was released off the practice squad on September 20, 2022.[10] He was re-signed on November 9.
Ottawa Redblacks
[edit]On January 30, 2023, it was announced that Desjarlais had signed with the Ottawa Redblacks to a two-year contract.[11] The deal was reported for an average annual value of $255,000, which made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Drew Desjarlais". Windsor Lancers. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Sawatzky, Mike (May 14, 2019). "Bombers' top draft pick Desjarlais working out with NFL's Jets". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Drew Desjarlais". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Game Notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "2021 CFL Division All-Stars Unveiled". Canadian Football League. November 24, 2021.
- ^ "Bombers release Drew Desjarlais to pursue NFL opportunties". Canadian Football League. January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Patriots officially sign ex-Blue Bombers offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais to futures contract". Pats Pulpit. SB Nation. January 27, 2022.
- ^ "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach 53-Man Roster Limit". Patriots.com. August 30, 2022.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 1, 2022.
- ^ Sigler, John (September 20, 2022). "Saints release practice squad guard, sign new backup OL Yasir Durant". USAToday.com.
- ^ "Redblacks sign all-star national OL Drew Desjarlais". Ottawa Redblacks. January 30, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian OL Drew Desjarlais signs with Ottawa Redblacks following NFL stint". 3DownNation. January 30, 2023.
External links
[edit]- 1997 births
- Living people
- Canadian football offensive linemen
- New England Patriots players
- New Orleans Saints players
- Ottawa Redblacks players
- Players of Canadian football from Ontario
- Windsor Lancers football players
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
- American football offensive linemen
- Players of American football from Ontario
- People from Essex County, Ontario