Corliss Waitman

Corliss Waitman

No. 37 – Chicago Bears
Position:	Punter
Personal information
Born:	(1995-07-21) 21 July 1995 (age 28) [1] Ghent, Belgium [1]
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	Milton (Milton, Florida)
College:	South Alabama (2014–2018)
CFL Draft:	2022G  / Round: 3 / Pick: 20
Undrafted:	2020
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (2020–2021)* Las Vegas Raiders (2021)* New England Patriots (2021)* Pittsburgh Steelers (2021) Denver Broncos (2022) New England Patriots (2023)* Chicago Bears (2024–present)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Punts: 103 Punting yards: 4,835 Average punt: 46.9 Longest punt: 63 Inside 20: 31
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Corliss Leendert Waitman (born 21 July 1995) is a Belgian-born American football punter for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Alabama.

Early years

Waitman's mother's family is from Suriname. ^[2] His father, José Waitman, was a professional basketball player, and was playing in Belgium when Corliss was born. The family moved to the Netherlands, where Corliss spent his childhood. When he was 15, he moved to the United States to join his father. Waitman switched from playing soccer to football in high school. ^[3]

College career

Waitman played college football at South Alabama from 2014 to 2018. In February 2019, he transferred to Mississippi State University. ^[4] However, the NCAA denied Waitman an extra year of eligibility, and he did not play college football in 2019. ^{[5] [6]}

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m)	213 lb (97 kg)
Values from Pro Day [7]

Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)

Waitman was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on 28 April 2020. He was waived on 5 September 2020 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on 14 January 2021. He was waived on 3 May 2021.

Las Vegas Raiders

On 26 July 2021, Waitman was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was waived on 23 August 2021.

New England Patriots (first stint)

On 23 November 2021, Waitman was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad. ^[8]

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

Waitman was signed by the Steelers off the Patriots practice squad on 25 December 2021, when Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III took bereavement leave. ^[9] He made his NFL debut in the team's week 16 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs the following day. He was waived on 15 January 2022. ^[10]

Denver Broncos

On 17 January 2022, Waitman was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos. ^[11]

Waitman was also drafted by the Edmonton Elks in the third round (20th overall) of the 2022 CFL Global Draft. ^[12]

Waitman was named the starting punter for the Broncos on 29 August 2022, after veteran punter Sam Martin was released. ^[13] In Week 3, Waitman punted 10 times, six of them inside the 20-yard line, in an 11–10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, earning American Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. ^[14]

New England Patriots (second stint)

On 23 March 2023, Waitman signed a contract with the Patriots, following the Patriots releasing Jake Bailey. ^{[15] [16] [17]} On 28 August 2023, the Patriots released Waitman and was re-signed to the practice squad. ^{[18] [19]} Waitman was released on 4 October 2023. ^[20]

Chicago Bears

On 9 January 2024, Waitman signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chicago Bears. ^[21]

References

1. "Corliss Waitman – Football". South Alabama Jaguars Athletics. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
2. steelers story
3. unique backstory
4. "Ex-USA punter Corliss Waitman signs with Miss. State". AL.com. 6 February 2019.
5. Nissim, Steve (30 April 2020). "Persistence lands Milton's Corliss Waitman an NFL opportunity". WEAR.
6. "NCAA denies Mississippi State grad transfer's 6th year of eligibility waiver". Saturday Down South. 3 August 2019.
7. "2020 NFL Draft Scout Corliss Waitman College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
8. "Patriots sign punter Corliss Waitman to the practice squad". Patriots.com. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
9. "USA's Corliss Waitman set for NFL debut on Sunday". al.com. 26 December 2021. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
10. Varley, Teresa (15 January 2022). "Steelers activate Smith-Schuster". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
11. Williams, Charean (17 January 2022). "Broncos claim Corliss Waitman off waivers". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
12. "Kingsley Jonathan leads the Way in Global Draft". CFL.ca. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
13. "Broncos cut punter Sam Martin after he refuses pay cut". NBC Sports. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
14. Gordon, Grant (28 September 2022). "Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
15. "Patriots Re-Sign DL Daniel Ekuale and Sign P Corliss Waitman". patriots.com. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
16. Yang, Nicole (23 March 2023). "Patriots sign left-footed punter Corliss Waitman - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
17. "New Dolphins punter Jake Bailey addresses Patriots' suspension and contract dispute". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
18. "Patriots Release QB Trace McSorley and P Corliss Waitman". Patriots.com. 28 August 2023.
19. "Patriots Practice Squad Headlined by QBs Zappe, Malik". SI.com. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
20. "Patriots Sign DL Trysten Hill to the Practice Squad; Release P Corliss Waitman from the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
21. Medina, Luis (9 January 2024). "Punter Corliss Waitman Signs with the Bears". Bleacher Nation. Retrieved 10 January 2024.

External links

• Denver Broncos bio
• South Alabama Jaguars bio