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Kingsley Jonathan
No. 59 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1998-04-28) April 28, 1998 (age 26)
Lagos, Nigeria
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Saint Frances (MD)
College:Syracuse (2017–2021)
CFL draft:2022G / round: 1 / pick: 1
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad/international
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:10
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Chukwuemeka Kingsley Jonathan (born April 28, 1998) is a Nigerian professional American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills in 2022. He was also the number one overall pick in the 2022 CFL Global Draft.

Early life

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Jonathan was born on April 28, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Saint Frances Academy. He also attended Eastern Alamance High School. He played defensive end and linebacker and also participated in basketball, soccer, and track and field. As a senior with Saint Frances, he recorded 65 tackles and 16 sacks, leading his team to a 10–2 record and the MIAA Class A championship. Jonathan was ranked the 24th-best defensive end by Rivals.com and was the 29th weakside defensive end according to 247Sports.[1]

Jonathan committed to Syracuse University and made his college football debut in 2017 against Central Connecticut. Overall, as a freshman, he appeared in eight games and made four tackles. Jonathan appeared in all 13 games in his sophomore year, 2018, and started two. He recorded 21 tackles and placed third on the team with five sacks. He was an ACC honor roll selection.[1]

Jonathan played as a reserve defensive end in 2019 and made 12 appearances. He recorded 24 tackles, three for-loss, and 1.5 sacks, earning All-ACC Academic honors. In his senior year, 2020, Jonathan was awarded the Jim Tatum Award for best ACC student-athlete. He started all 11 games and finished the year with 32 total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. He was a Campbell Trophy semifinalist, Wuerffel Trophy watchlisted player, Senior CLASS Award candidate and was a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.[1]

Jonathan was given an extra year of eligibility in 2021, and decided to return to the Syracuse program as a fifth-year senior.[2] He appeared in all 12 games and started one, making 20 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, Witten Award and was a watchlisted player for the Wuerffel Trophy. He won the Joseph Alexander Award for "excellence in football, scholarship, and citizenship."[1]

Jonathan finished his college career with 101 tackles (60 solo), 21.5 for-loss, 15 quarterback sacks, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in a total of 56 games.[1]

Professional career

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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 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		259 lb
(117 kg) 		34+5⁄8 in
(0.88 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.76 s 1.61 s 2.72 s 4.44 s 7.00 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 28 reps
All values from Pro Day[3]

Buffalo Bills (first stint)

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After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Jonathan was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.[4][5] He was also the top pick in the 2022 CFL Global Draft, being selected by the Montreal Alouettes, but chose to stay with Buffalo.[6][7] He was released at the final roster cuts on August 30, 2022.[8]

Chicago Bears

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Jonathan was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Bears on September 1, 2022.[9][10] He was waived on November 15, after having recorded four tackles in five games.[11][12]

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

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On November 17, 2022, Jonathan was signed to the Bills practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2023.[13]

On August 27, 2024, Jonathan was released by the Bills as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kingsley Jonathan". cuse.com. Syracuse Orange.
  2. ^ McAllister, Mike (December 15, 2020). "Kingsley Jonathan Will Return to Syracuse". Sports Illustrated.
  3. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Kingsley Jonathan, Syracuse NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Mink, Nate (April 30, 2022). "Former Syracuse football DL Kingsley Jonathan signs with Buffalo Bills". Syracuse.com.
  5. ^ Jones, Carl (July 26, 2022). "Bills defensive end Kingsley Jonathan's journey from Nigeria to NFL". roschesterfirst.com.
  6. ^ "Global Draft: Alouettes take Syracuse's Kingsley Jonathan No. 1". cfl.ca. Canadian Football League. May 3, 2022.
  7. ^ Ostrowski, Michael (May 4, 2022). "Syracuse football alums Kingsley Jonathan, Tyrell Richards are top picks in CFL Drafts". nunesmagician.com. SB Nation.
  8. ^ Maiorana, Sal (August 30, 2022). "Buffalo Bills roster cuts: OJ Howard released, Tre White goes on PUP". Democrat and Chronicle.
  9. ^ Hurley, Parker (September 1, 2022). "What new signing Kingsley Jonathan brings to Chicago Bears". beargoggleson.com. FanSided.
  10. ^ Barbieri, Alyssa (September 1, 2022). "Highlights of every new Bears roster addition". USA Today.
  11. ^ Mayer, Larry (November 15, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears put Herbert on IR, waive Jonathan". ChicagoBears.com.
  12. ^ "Kingsley Jonathan Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  13. ^ Jenkins, Chris (January 23, 2023). "Bills signed these players to reserve/future contracts for 2023". BuffaloBills.com.
  14. ^ White, Alec (August 27, 2024). "Buffalo Bills made these moves to get to initial 53-man roster | 2024". BuffaloBills.com.
  15. ^ White, Alec (August 28, 2024). "Bills sign 16 players to 2024 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com.
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