Jody Fortson
refer to caption
Fortson in 2021
No. 88 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1995-12-07) December 7, 1995 (age 27)
Buffalo, New York
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:South Park
(Buffalo, New York)
College:Valdosta State
Undrafted:2019
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2022
Receptions:11
Receiving yards:123
Receiving touchdowns:4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Joseph Demarius "Jody" Fortson Jr. (born December 7, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played college football at Valdosta State after transferring from Erie Community College,[2] and was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2019.[3] Fortson was on the Chiefs practice squad for their Super Bowl LIV championship which earned him a Super Bowl ring.

College career

Fortson began his college football career at Erie Community College before transferring to Valdosta State.[4] A wide receiver in college, Fortson tallied 37 receptions for 477 yards and 7 touchdowns in 19 games played for the Valdosta State Blazers.[5]

Despite an abbreviated senior season due to injury in which the Blazers won the Division II National Championship, Fortson was chosen to play in both the Tropical Bowl[6] as well as the College Gridiron Showcase[7] all-star events.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄4 in
(1.94 m) 		226 lb
(103 kg) 		33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.84 s 1.55 s 2.82 s 4.59 s 7.52 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)		 10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		 13 reps
All values from Pro Day[8]

Going into the NFL, Fortson converted to tight end and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2019. He was waived on August 31, 2019 and signed to the practice squad the next day. Fortson remained on practice squad for the rest of the season and as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers. He re-signed with the Chiefs on February 5, 2020.[9] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[10] He signed to the practice squad the following day.[11]

On February 9, 2021, Fortson re-signed with the Chiefs. He made the Chiefs' active roster on August 31, 2021.[12]

He recorded his first career NFL reception against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of the 2021 season.[13] He would record his first career NFL touchdown reception the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on October 23. He was placed on Reserve/COVID-19 on December 10, 2021.[15]

Career statistics

Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2021 KC 6 0 5 47 9.4 27 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2022 KC 9 0 6 76 12.7 40 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0
Career 15 0 11 123 11.2 40 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0

References

  1. ^ "Jody Fortson". NFL.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. ^ Bronstein, Jonah (November 23, 2019). "Kansas City Chiefs rookie Jody Fortson Jr. returns to Buffalo with inspiring message". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Skurski, Jay (January 29, 2020). "Chiefs' Demone Harris, Jody Fortson proud to represent Buffalo on NFL's biggest stage". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Owen, Chris. "Buffalo Native and ECC Alum Scores NFL Touchdown on Sunday". WYRK. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Joe Fortson - 2018 - Football". Valdosta State University Athletics. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Roster – SPIRAL Tropical Bowl". www.tropicalbowl.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "2019 CGS College Gridiron Showcase Rosters". College Gridiron Showcase. January 2, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "Jody Fortson, Valdosta State, TE, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  9. ^ Goldman, Charles (February 5, 2020). "Chiefs add 9 practice squad players on reserve/future contracts". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "Chiefs Roster Down to NFL-Mandated 53". Chiefs.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Fedotin, Jeff (September 6, 2020). "The Kansas City Chiefs Make Good Use Of New Practice Squad Rules". Forbes.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Thompson, Jaylon (February 9, 2021). "Kansas City Chiefs sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts". 247Sports. Retrieved February 10, 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens 2021 REG 2 - Game Center". NFL.com. September 19, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Goldman, Charles (September 26, 2021). "Chiefs TE Jody Fortson catches first career touchdown". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 3, 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Chiefs place Jody Fortson on COVID-19 reserve list". NBCSports.com.

External links

Kansas City Chiefs roster
2018 Valdosta State Blazers football—NCAA Division II national champions
Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LIV champions
Categories