Casey Sayles
Casey Sayles (born September 4, 1995) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football with the Ohio Bobcats.
| No. 44 Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
Sayles with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023 | |
| Born: | September 4, 1995 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Defensive tackle |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 289 lb (131 kg) |
| College | Ohio Bobcats |
| High school | Omaha North |
| NFL draft | 2017, Undrafted |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2017* | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2018* | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2019 | Birmingham Iron |
| 2019* | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2020 | St. Louis BattleHawks |
| 2021–2022 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2023–present | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 2023 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2023 |
| Career stats | |
| |
Early years edit
Sayles attended Omaha North High School in Omaha, Nebraska.[1] As a senior, Sayles compiled 36 solo tackles and 40 assists, with 19 tackles for loss for 71 yards, including 4 1/2 sacks. He also registered four pass breakups, and while playing tight end, he caught nine passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.[2] He helped Omaha North reach the Class A championship game and was named to the All-Nebraska team. Sayles signed with the Ohio Bobcats out of high school.[3]
College career edit
Sayles played Defensive line for the Ohio Bobcats from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, he also played Special teams and returned 4 kicks for a total of 30 yards.[4] In 2014, he played in only seven games. In his senior season in 2016, Sayles has 33 tackles and six sacks, earning Second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.[5] He finished his four year college career with 111 total tackles and 12.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries in 50 games.
Statistics edit
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2013 | Ohio | MAC | FR | DL | 11 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Ohio | MAC | SO | DL | 7 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *2015 | Ohio | MAC | JR | DL | 13 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *2016 | Ohio | MAC | SR | DL | 14 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Ohio | 45 | 47 | 63 | 110 | 19.5 | 11.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *indicates bowl stats included. Reference[4] | |||||||||||||||||||
Professional career edit
Los Angeles Rams edit
On May 3, 2017, Sayles was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent.[6] He was released by the team on September 3, 2017.[7]
Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint) edit
On January 18, 2018, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Sayles to a Reserve/Future contract.[7] He had four tackles in four preseason games.[8] On September 1, 2018, he was waived.[7]
Birmingham Iron edit
In 2019, Sayles played for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).[8] According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of the best defensive lineman in the league on a per-snap basis.[9] The league ceased operations in April 2019.[10]
Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint) edit
On April 9, 2019, the Steelers signed Sayles to a one-year contract.[7] On August 30, 2019, he was released.[11]
St. Louis BattleHawks edit
In October 2019, Sayles was drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks via the 2020 XFL Draft. He was picked up in the first round of Phase 3: Defensive Front Seven.[12] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[13]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers edit
Sayles signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL on April 5, 2021.[14] He played for two seasons with the Blue Bombers where he won a Grey Cup in 2021 and became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2023.[15]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats edit
On February 15, 2023, it was announced that Sayles had signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[15] On November 8, 2023, Sayles was named a CFL All-Star, after leading the team in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss.[16]
References edit
- ^ "Profile: Casey Sayles". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Hambleton, Ryan (December 8, 2012). "Casey Sayles, DL". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ Pospisil, Stu (February 6, 2013). "Metro's Sayles, Keely twins sign letters". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "Profile: Casey Sayles". sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Former Ohio Football Standout Sayles Set To Open Inaugural AAF Season With Birmingham Iron". Ohio Bobcats. February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "Profile: Casey Sayles". rotoworld.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Profile: Casey Sayles". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Klinger, Jacob (April 9, 2019). "Steelers bring back former AAF DL Casey Sayles". PennLive. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ Marczi, Matthew (March 7, 2019). "Casey Sayles Another Former Steeler Making Mark In Alliance With The Iron". Steelers Depot. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Asti, Mike (August 30, 2019). "Report: Steelers Release DL Casey Sayles". steelersnow.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Marra, Riley (April 5, 2021). "Bombers add Casey Sayles to roster". BlueBombers.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "TIGER-CATS WHITE AND SAYLES NAMED CFL ALL-STARS".
External links edit
- Media related to Casey Sayles at Wikimedia Commons