Deontay Burnett

Deontay Burnett

Burnett with the Tennessee Titans in 2018
Personal information
Born:	(1997-10-04) October 4, 1997 (age 27) Compton, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:	Gardena (CA) Serra
College:	USC (2015–2017)
Position:	Wide receiver
Undrafted:	2018
Career history
Tennessee Titans (2018)* New York Jets (2018) San Francisco 49ers (2019)* Philadelphia Eagles (2019–2020) Houston Roughnecks (2023) Arlington Renegades (2024) Dallas Cowboys (2024)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Pac-12 (2017) All-XFL Team (2023)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 15 Receiving yards: 210 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Deontay Burnett (born October 4, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He played college football at USC. He has also been a member of the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Roughnecks, and Arlington Renegades.

Early life

Burnett attended Junípero Serra High School in Gardena, California.^[1] He was rated as a three-star recruit and was not a highly recruited player coming out of high school.^[2] He committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football. Burnett was offered a blueshirt scholarship on the day of signing day, and chose to commit to the school he dreamed of playing for as a kid.^[3]

College career

As a true freshman at USC in 2015, Burnett appeared in all but two of the Trojans' games. He was a backup receiver, finishing the year with 10 receptions for 161 yards. He led the team in receiving against California with 3 receptions for 82 yards.^[4] In his sophomore season at USC in 2016, Burnett broke out as one of the top-three targets for the Trojans. He appeared in all 13 games, started the last 5 as the slot receiver, and finished with 56 receptions for 622 yards with 7 touchdowns. He added on with 3 carries for 31 yards. Deontay Burnett broke out in the 2017 Rose Bowl Game, where he caught 13 passes for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns. Burnett was given numerous post-season accolades, as he made the 2016 AP All-Bowl Team first-team, ESPN All-Bowl Team first-team and ESPN Pac-12 All-Bowl Team first-team.^[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span
5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m)	8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m)
All values from NFL Combine[6][7]

Tennessee Titans

Burnett signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2018.^[8] He was waived on September 1, 2018.^[9]

New York Jets

On September 3, 2018, Burnett was signed to the New York Jets' practice squad.^[10] He was released on September 21, 2018, but was re-signed four days later.^[11] He was promoted to the active roster on October 20, 2018.^[12] Burnett made his NFL debut on October 21, 2018, in a 37–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, catching one pass for nine yards.^[13] In Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, Burnett finished with a team high of both 61 receiving yards and 4 receptions as the Jets lost 10–24.

On August 31, 2019, Burnett was waived by the Jets.^[14]

San Francisco 49ers

On October 16, 2019, Burnett was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.^[15] He was released on December 10, 2019.^[16]

Philadelphia Eagles

Burnett was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad on December 12, 2019. He was promoted to the active roster on December 24, 2019.^[17] In week 17, he caught 2 passes for 48 yards in the 34–17 win against the Giants.

Burnett was waived on September 3, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad three days later.^[18][19] He was elevated to the active roster on September 26 and October 3 for the team's weeks 3 and 4 games against the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.^[20][21] He was placed on the practice squad/COVID-19 list by the team on November 19, 2020,^[22] and restored to the practice squad on December 3.^[23] In total, Burnett played in 2 games, and had 3 receptions for 19 yards. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 4, 2021.^[24] He was waived with a non-football injury designation on March 23, 2021.^[25]

Houston Roughnecks

On November 17, 2022, Burnett was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.^[26] The Roughnecks brand was transferred to the Houston Gamblers when the XFL and United States Football League (USFL) merged to create the United Football League (UFL).^[27]

Arlington Renegades

On January 5, 2024, Burnett was selected by the Arlington Renegades during the 2024 UFL dispersal draft.^[28]

Dallas Cowboys

Burnett signed with the Dallas Cowboys on July 27, 2024.^[29] He was waived on August 26.^[30]

References

1. "Deontay Burnett's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com.
2. "Deontay Burnett, 2015 Wide Receiver - Rivals.com". n.rivals.com.
3. "Deontay Burnett Commits to USC as a Blueshirt". Reign of Troy.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. "USC freshman WR led Trojans in receiving yards vs. Cal". Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
5. "How Deontay Burnett went from Wazzu commit to USC's Rose Bowl hero". ESPN.com. January 6, 2017. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
6. "Deontay Burnett Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
7. "2018 NFL Draft Scout Deontay Burnett College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
8. Wyatt, Jim (May 11, 2018). "Titans Reach Deals with 22 Undrafted Free Agents". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018.
9. Wyatt, Jim (September 1, 2018). "Roster Moves: Titans Trim Roster From 90 to 53 Players". TitansOnline.com.
10. Greenberg, Ethan (September 3, 2018). "Jets Fill Out 10-Man Practice Squad With Six Players". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
11. "Jets add WR ArDarius Stewart to practice squad, release Deontay Burnett". Jets Wire. USA Today. September 21, 2018.
12. Allen, Eric (October 20, 2018). "Jets Promote WR Deontay Burnett, Release WR Terrelle Pryor". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
13. Lichtenstein, Steve (October 22, 2018). "Lichtenstein: Jets' Failure to Find Reinforcements At Receiver Proves Costly". wfan.radio.com. WFAN. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
14. Lange, Randy (August 31, 2019). "Jets Announce 38 Moves to Get Down to 53-Man Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
15. "49ers sign WR Deontay Burnett to practice squad". Niners Nation. SB Nation. October 16, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
16. "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
17. McPherson, Chris (December 24, 2019). "Eagles sign TE Richard Rodgers and promote WR Deontay Burnett to the active roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
18. Alper, Josh (September 3, 2020). "Eagles put Andre Dillard on IR, cut 12 players". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
19. "Philadelphia Eagles to sign WR Deontay Burnett to their practice squad". September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
20. Johnson, Vaughn (September 26, 2020). "Eagles elevate DB Grayland Arnold, WR Deontay Burnett to the active roster". Philadelphia Eagles.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
21. McPherson, Chris (October 3, 2020). "Eagles elevate DB Grayland Arnold and WR Deontay Burnett from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game". Philadelphia Eagles.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
22. "Eagles place four players on COVID-19 lists". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. November 19, 2020. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
23. McPherson, Chris (December 3, 2020). "Eagles activate WR Deontay Burnett from the Practice Squad COVID-19 list". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
24. McPherson, Chris (January 4, 2021). "Eagles agree to terms with DT T.Y. McGill; sign nine players to reserve/futures deals". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
25. McPherson, Chris (March 23, 2021). "Roster Move: Eagles waive/non-football injury WR Deontay Burnett". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
26. "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
27. Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
28. Larsen, James [@JamesLarsenPFN] (January 5, 2024). "BREAKING: The Arlington Renegades selected a few more big-time playmakers in the #XFL Dispersal Draft today, per source" (Tweet). Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Twitter.
29. Harris, Nick (July 27, 2024). "Cowboys sign two UFL receivers after workouts". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
30. "Fehoko, Harvey among first wave of roster cuts". dallascowboys.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.

External links

• Deontay Burnett on Twitter
• USC Trojans bio