Giants Country

Giants Add TE Deon Yelder to Practice Squad

Get to know newest Giants tight end Deon Yelder.

Patricia Traina

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants signed tight end Deon Yelder to their practice squad.

Yelder, 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, played his college ball at Western Kentucky as a walk-on. After redshirting his freshman year, he saw his first action as a sophomore but did not catch a pass until his junior season.

Yelder finished his college career with 52 receptions for 688 yards, seven touchdowns, and two rushing attempts for 15 yards and one touchdown. In the 2017 Senior Bowl, he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Lauletta, whom the Giants would draft later that year.

Yelder signed as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2018 as a priority UDFA but was cut at the end of training camp and added to the team's practice squad. The Saints released him on October 3, 2018, and he was picked up by the Kanas City Chiefs, who signed him to their practice squad the next day.

Yelder was promoted by the Chiefs to the active roster on October 23, 2018, and appeared in his first NFL game five days later against the Denver Broncos.

Yelder remained with the Chiefs through the 2020 season. He was placed on injured reserve on January 16, 2021, with a groin injury but was activated in time for the Chiefs' appearance in Super Bowl LV against the Bucs.

This season, Yelder was with three other teams before finding his way to the Giants practice squad. They include Washington, who cut him just before the start of 2021 training camp, the Titans, who had him in their training camp for one day, and the Bucs, who signed him to their practice squad on September 1. He was elevated to the 53--man roster, appearing in five games for the Bucs before being released on November 10.

Yelder has appeared in 31 games with two starts, both coming with the Chiefs. He has caught 11 out of his 16 pass targets for 86 yards.

New York had an opening on the practice squad after promoting Chris Myarick to the 53-man roster. The Giants are currently thin at tight end, with Kyle Rudolph (ankle) and Kaden Smith (knee) dealing with injuries.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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