No. 25 | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Haines City, Florida, U.S. | April 13, 1991||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Ridge Community (Davenport, Florida) | ||||||||
College: | Miami (FL) | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 2013 / Round: 6 / Pick: 189 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Mike James (born April 13, 1991) is a former American football running back who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. James was selected in the 6th round (189th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Miami.
James attended Ridge Community High School in Davenport, Florida, where he played for the Bolts football team. [1] He was selected to The Ledger's all-county first-team as a running back and to the Mobile Press-Register's Super Southeast 120. [1] He was also a Florida Sports Writers Association All-State honorable mention. [1] Coming out of high school he was ranked as the 18th-best running back prospect by Scout.com, the 21st-best by Rivals.com, and the 33rd-best by ESPN.com. [1]
James attended the University of Miami, where he played four seasons for the Hurricanes football team. During his collegiate career he rushed for 1,386 yards on 312 carries with 17 touchdowns, while also recording 585 receiving yards and 5 reception TD's. [1] During the 2010 and 2011 seasons, he played mainly as a backup for Damien Berry and Lamar Miller. During the 2012 season, he and Duke Johnson shared playing time. As a senior he was honored with the Community Service Man of the Year Award, Captain's Award, Melching Leadership Award, and was named Jack Harding Team Most Valuable Player. [1]
James was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round (189th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. [2] On May 13, 2013, he signed a four-year deal worth $2,263,152 which also included a $103,152 signing bonus. During his rookie season he rushed for 295 yards on 60 carries, [3] including a 158-yard game against Seattle during week 9. [4] His season ended the following week against Miami when he broke his ankle on a goal-line run. [5]
During the 2014 season James rushed for 37 yards in 11 games played. [3] The next year he was released by the Buccaneers on September 29, then signed to the practice squad on October 1, and promoted to the active roster on December 26, 2015. [3] He did not play in any games during the 2015 season. [3] James was waived by the Buccaneers on September 7, 2016, following an injury. [6]
On October 3, 2016, the Detroit Lions signed James to their practice squad. [7] He was released on October 25, 2016. [8]
On November 1, 2016, James was re-signed by the Buccaneers. [9] He played in four games before being waived on November 29. [10]
On December 3, 2016, James was re-signed to the Lions practice squad. [11] He signed a reserve / future contract with the Lions on January 9, 2017. [12] On August 15, 2017, the Lions placed James on injured reserve with a concussion. [13]
James is an advocate for the medical use of cannabis, which he says can help reduce addiction to opioids among NFL players. James says cannabis helped him overcome his own painkiller addiction while recovering from a severe ankle injury sustained in 2013. [14] In 2018, after failing a drug test the previous year, James filed a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) with the NFL to allow him to use cannabis. [15] The petition was later denied, but James' attorney said that discussion with league officials was ongoing. [16] [17]
James was featured in the CNN documentary Weed 4 discussing his use of cannabis as an alternate pain reliever and his push for the NFL to allow its use. [15] James is also a co-chair of the Doctors for Cannabis Regulation NFL steering committee. [18]
Aveion Marquel Cason is a former American football running back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Florida Tuskers in the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Illinois State University.
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Storm Johnson is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCF.
Jeremy Langford is a former American football running back. He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Jonathan Williams is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Arkansas and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Williams has also been a member of the Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Washington Football Team / Commanders and New York Giants.
Calvin "C. J." Prosise Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Jeremy Theron McNichols is an American football running back for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. McNichols has also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patrick Michael Laird is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at California.
Chase Edmonds is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fordham Rams and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos.
Jeffery Wilson Jr. is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Texas and signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
Craig Reynolds is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kutztown, and signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft.
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Darrynton L.A. Evans is an American football running back and return specialist for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Jake Funk is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland. In Maryland's four games during the 2020 season, which was shortened due to COVID-19, Funk averaged 129 rushing yards per game. He also led the Big Ten Conference and ranked second among all Football Bowl Subdivision running backs with an average of 8.6 rushing yards per carry. Funk was drafted in the 7th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2021.