 Charles with the Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||
| No. 80, 82, 84 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 27, 1991 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Henry B. Plant (Tampa) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2012 / Round: 4 / Pick: 116 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Orson Charles (born January 27, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end and fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first-team All-American honors as a tight end in 2011.
Charles attended Riverview High School before transferring to Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida for his senior year, where he was a teammate of Aaron Murray. During a recruiting visit to the University of Florida in 2008, Charles accidentally dropped the school's 2006 National Championship Trophy, breaking the Waterford Crystal football.[1] He played in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Charles was named a finalist for the 2011 John Mackey Award on November 21, 2011.[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
251 lb (114 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.73 s | 1.66 s | 2.72 s | 4.37 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
35 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Charles was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round, 116th overall, of the 2012 NFL Draft.[5] In his rookie season, he played all 16 games, starting 6 of them, accumulating 8 receptions for 101 yards. In 2013 Charles played primarily at fullback; He played 13 games but started none and recorded one catch for eight yards.[6]
On September 23, 2014, Charles was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
On June 16, 2016, Charles was signed by the Detroit Lions.[7] He was released on October 4, 2016.[8]
On May 31, 2017, Charles signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.[9] He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad the next day.[10][11] He was released on October 7, 2017.[12] He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 25, 2017. He was promoted to the active roster on November 28, 2017.[13] He was waived by the Chiefs on May 3, 2018.[14]
On July 30, 2018, Charles signed with the Cleveland Browns.[15] He made the Browns final roster as the team's fourth tight end. Despite being listed as a tight end, Charles had lined up primarily as a fullback throughout the 2018 season. He appeared on the 2018 Pro Bowl ballot as a fullback, and Browns coaches have signaled they view him as such.[16] The Browns placed Charles on injured reserve with an ankle injury on December 13, 2018.[17]
On April 3, 2019, Charles re-signed with the Browns.[18] The Browns waived Charles on August 11, 2019.
On August 21, 2019, Charles signed with the Denver Broncos.[19] He was released on August 31, 2019.[20] He was re-signed on November 19, 2019, but was released three days later.[21]
Charles was drafted in the 6th round of the 2020 XFL Draft by the DC Defenders,[22] but did not sign with the team.
Shortly before the 2012 NFL Draft, Charles was arrested for a DUI.[23]
On March 31, 2014, Charles was arrested for wanton endangerment in Richmond, Kentucky. Charles was pulled over by a police officer after another driver called in a complaint that Charles had shown a gun multiple times.[23] In February 2015 Charles pleaded guilty to wanton endangerment and will enter a diversion program.[24]
On July 16, 2022, Charles was arrested for pulling a gun on off-duty police officers in Tampa, Florida.[25]