Shaka Heyward

Last updated
Shaka Heyward
No. 50 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (2000-04-19) April 19, 2000 (age 24)
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school: Mill Creek
(Hoschton, Georgia)
College: Duke (2018–2022)
Undrafted: 2023
Career history
Roster status:Practice squad
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Games played:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Shaka Heyward (born April 19, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.

Contents

Early life

Heyward was born on April 19, 2000. [1] He comes from an athletic family: his cousins, Cameron and Connor Heyward, both play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, while another cousin, Corey, played college basketball, another, Craig Jr., played college football for Middle Tennessee, and Craig Jr.'s father Craig Heyward also played in the NFL. [2] He attended Mill Creek High School in Georgia where he played football as a linebacker. [3] In his last two seasons, he totaled 168 tackles. [2] A three-star prospect, he committed to play college football for the Duke Blue Devils and one of the top-60 ranked outside linebackers nationally. [2]

College career

Heyward redshirted as a freshman at Duke in 2018, appearing in four games. [2] The following year, he appeared in all 12 games, six as a starter, totaling 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs); he was third for Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshmen in the former while he placed sixth in the latter category. [2] In 2020, he started all 11 games and posted a team-leading 80 tackles with 8.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks. [4] That year, he received the Vincent Rey Award for best Duke linebacker and the Sonny Falcone Award, "given annually to offensive, defensive, and developmental members for their year-round commitment to strength and conditioning." [2]

In 2021, Heyward was named third-team All-ACC after having started all 12 games and recording a team-leading 98 tackles and 11.5 TFLs. [4] [5] He received the Vincent Rey Award for a second time and also won an award for playing the most snaps for Duke that year. [4] As a senior in 2022, he served as team captain and started all 12 games, recording 93 tackles, six pass breakups and 6.0 TFLs, being named honorable mention All-ACC and the Duke defensive MVP. [4] He concluded his collegiate career having started 41 games, tallying 340 tackles, 32.5 TFLs and 11.5 sacks. [2]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Heyward signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. [6] He was waived on August 29, 2023, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. [7] [8] He signed a reserve/future contract after the season on January 8, 2024. [9] He was waived again on August 27, 2024, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. [10] [11] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers and made his NFL debut in the game, appearing on 24 special teams snaps. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Henderson</span> American football player and coach (born 1983)

Eric Charles Henderson is an American football coach who is the co-defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, and run game coordinator for the USC Trojans of the Big Ten Conference (NCAA). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

Patrick Bailey is an American former professional football linebacker. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008 by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Bailey won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers. He also played for the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Jeffcoat</span> American gridiron football player (born 1990)

Jackson Jeffcoat is an American former professional football player who spent his entire Canadian Football League (CFL) career as a defensive end with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jeffcoat won the 107th and 108th Grey Cup when the Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to conclude the 2019 and 2021 seasons. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns. Jeffcoat was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and also played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Jacobs (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1988)

Benjamin Jacobs is a former American football coach and former linebacker who is the assistant special teams coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Jacobs played college football for Fresno State, where he tied an NCAA record by forcing three fumbles in a single game.

Matthew Daniels is an American professional football coach and former player who is the special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL as a safety.

Paul Dawson is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft.

Malik Terrell Jefferson is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Texas. As a senior at Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, Jefferson won the 2014 Butkus Award given to the best linebacker in high school. He has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Cash</span> American football player (born 1992)

Jeremy Cash is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils, and was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Vigil</span> American football player (born 1993)

Nick Vigil is an American professional football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State, and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Chargers, the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Glasgow</span> American football player (born 1993)

Ryan James Glasgow is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He played college football at Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Sharpe (American football)</span> American football player (born 1995)

David Sharpe is an American professional football offensive tackle. He played college football at Florida and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Football Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrell Lewis (American football)</span> American football player (born 1998)

Terrell Lewis is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston Rose</span> American gridiron football player (born 1993)

Winston Rose is an American professional football defensive back who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Rose won the 107th Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played college football for the New Mexico State Aggies.

Clay Johnston is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Baylor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bachie</span> American football player (born 1998)

Joe Bachie is an American professional football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State. He has also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Christian Rozeboom is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota State.

Mark Gilbert Jr. is an American professional football cornerback for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Duke and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. Gilbert has also been a member of the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Maulers, and Miami Dolphins.

Callen James Adomitis is an American professional football long snapper for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh.

Domenique Davis is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UNC Pembroke.

Trenton Thompson is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Shaka Heyward Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Garrett, Tommy (April 19, 2023). "Shaka Heyward, LB, Duke | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
  3. ↑ "Cincinnati Bengals sign Mill Creek grad Shaka Heyward". Gwinnett Daily Post . May 1, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Shaka Heyward". Duke Blue Devils.
  5. ↑ "NFL Draft Profile: Shaka Heyward, Linebacker, Duke Blue Devils". Sports Illustrated . July 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Heyward Joins Cincinnati Bengals as Undrafted Free Agent". Duke Blue Devils. April 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "NFL cuts tracker 2023: Roster updates for all 32 teams". ESPN. August 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Trapasso, Chris (September 21, 2023). "2023 NFL practice squad tracker: Complete roster signings for all 32 teams ahead of 2023 season". CBS Sports.
  9. ↑ "Bengals Roster Moves: Players Signed to Reserve/Future Contracts". Cincinnati Bengals. January 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Weiter, Taylor (August 27, 2024). "Bengals waive 16 players, announce 53-man roster". WCPO-TV.
  11. ↑ Sanderson, Emily (August 28, 2024). "Bengals bring back 12 players onto practice squad after roster cuts". WLWT.
  12. ↑ "Bengals Elevate OT Devin Cochran and LB Shaka Heyward". Cincinnati Bengals. November 16, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Shaka Heyward Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.