Jaguars Sign Former Commanders TE, Tulane Hoopster Sammis Reyes

Reyes is the first Chilean player in NFL history.

The Jacksonville Jaguars just made an interesting addition at tight end.

Jacksonville signed free agent tight end Sammis Reyes on Tuesday, releasing safety Deionte Thompson in the process.

Reyes (6’7, 240) initially entered professional football when he was signed by Washington in April of 2021. During the 2021 season, he appeared in 11 games making one start with the Commanders. When he made his NFL debut, he became the first player born in Chile to play in an NFL game. 

Reyes spent time during the 2022 season on Chicago’s practice squad.

Originally from Talcahauno, Chile, Reyes played basketball at Tulane University (2016-18) and on the Chilean National team before starting his football career in 2021.

Reyes will join a tight end room that consists of starter Evan Engram, second-round pick Brenton Strange, 2021 fourth-rounder Luke Farrell, second-year veteran Gerrit Prince, and undrafted free agent rookie Leonard Taylor. 

Reyes is an interesting addition considering the athletic upside. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has long been known as a coach who knows effective ways to utilize tight ends, especially after an Eagles tenure that saw Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Dallas Goedert all find success.

"Well, I’ve always been, whether I was a player or coach, I’ve always had really good tight ends. We’ve had great tight ends, going back to my days in Green Bay when I was a player. With the guys we had: Keith Jackson, Mark Chmura, guys like that. The tight end, as a quarterback, the tight end becomes a really important piece. It almost becomes your best friend, right?" Pederson said earlier this offseason.

"At our level, that’s a comfort for the quarterback. I’ve always tried to make our tight end room the best we can, whether we do it through the draft or free agency or trade of something of that nature."