| Sayles with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023 | |
| No. 44 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Roster status | Active |
| CFL status | American |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 4, 1995 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 289 lb (131 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Omaha North |
| College | Ohio Bobcats |
| NFL draft | 2017: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| 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 |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
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.
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]
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.
| 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] | |||||||||||||||||||
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]
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]
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]
On April 9, 2019, the Steelers signed Sayles to a one-year contract. [7] On August 30, 2019, he was released. [11]
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]
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]
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]