Eric Saubert Explained

Eric Saubert
Current Team:San Francisco 49ers
Number:82
Position:Tight end
Birth Date:9 May 1994
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:248
High School:Hoffman Estates
(Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
College:Drake
Draftyear:2017
Draftround:5
Draftpick:174
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Receptions
Statvalue1:36
Statlabel2:Receiving yards
Statvalue2:292
Statlabel3:Receiving touchdowns
Statvalue3:2
Pfr:SaubEr00

Eric Saubert (born May 9, 1994) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Drake,[1] and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Professional career

Pre-draft

On December 5, 2016, it was announced that Saubert had accepted an invitation to play in the 2017 East–West Shrine Game.[2] He impressed scouts and analysts throughout practices for the Shrine Game, displaying his athleticism, receiving ability, and received praises from multiple media members, including NFL analyst Mike Mayock.[3] On January 21, 2017, Saubert played in the East–West Shrine Game and was part of an East team that lost 10–3 to the West. Unfortunately, he was unable to record a reception although he was targeted twice.[4] On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Saubert would be a late addition to play in the 2017 Senior Bowl.[5] He attended two days later and was a part of Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson's South team that defeated the North 16–15. He was unable to record a reception with top draft prospects O. J. Howard, David Njoku, and Gerald Everett on his team and only having a day of practice. Saubert was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.[6] He tied for second amongst his position group in the bench press, fifth in the broad jump, and eighth in the vertical jump and opted to only perform those drills.[7] On March 28, 2017, Saubert attended Iowa State's pro day and performed all of the combine drills and positional drills. He ran receiving drills with Cincinnati Bengals tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes for the 33 team representatives and scouts who attended from 22 NFL teams.[8] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Saubert was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 12th best tight end prospect in the draft by CBS Sports and was ranked the 13th best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com.[9]

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons selected Saubert in the fifth round (174th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[10] He was the first player selected from Drake since Pat Dunsmore was selected in the fourth round (183rd overall) of the 1983 NFL draft. Saubert was the 20th player drafted in Drake University history. He was the 12th tight end drafted in 2017.[11] On May 11, 2017, the Falcons signed Saubert to a four-year, $2.62 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $227,388.[12]

With the departure of Jacob Tamme in free agency, Saubert competed for the starting tight end job throughout training camp, against Austin Hooper and Levine Toilolo. Head coach Dan Quinn named him the third string tight end to begin the regular season.[13]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Falcons' season-opening 23–17 victory at the Chicago Bears.[14] He played in 14 games his rookie year but did not record any statistics. Saubert had five catches for 48 yards (9.6 yards per catch) in 2018 as he saw action in all 16 games, including one start.[15]

New England Patriots

On August 12, 2019, Saubert was traded to the New England Patriots for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[16] He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[17]

Oakland Raiders

Saubert signed with the Oakland Raiders' practice squad on September 1, 2019.[18]

Chicago Bears

On November 30, 2019, Saubert was signed by the Bears off the Raiders practice squad.[19] He caught two passes for 21 yards during the 2019 season.[20]

Saubert was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Bears on July 29, 2020,[21] and activated from the list five days later.[22] He was waived by the team on September 16, 2020.[23]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On September 19, 2020, Saubert was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.[24] He was elevated to the active roster on October 24 for the team's week 7 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[25] He was signed to the active roster on November 21, 2020.[26]

Denver Broncos

Saubert signed with the Denver Broncos on May 3, 2021.[27] He made the active roster as the third TE on the depth chart and recorded one catch for 7 yards in Week 1 against the New York Giants.[28] After posting just a single catch in Week 2 and no stats in Weeks 3-5, Saubert had a career best day in the Week 6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders with 3 catches for 27 yards and an onside kick recovery. He caught the first touchdown pass of his career in the week 12 win against the Chargers.[29]

On May 4, 2022, Saubert re-signed with the Broncos.[30]

Miami Dolphins

On March 17, 2023, Saubert signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.[31] He was placed on injured reserve on August 29, 2023, then released a week later.[32]

Dallas Cowboys

On October 24, 2023, the Dallas Cowboys signed Saubert to their practice squad.[33] He appeared in his only game during the Week 8 game against the Rams.

Houston Texans

On October 31, 2023, Saubert was signed by the Houston Texans off the Cowboys practice squad.[34]

San Francisco 49ers

On April 8, 2024, Saubert signed with the San Francisco 49ers.[35]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Drake's Eric Saubert, UNI's Karter Schult ready for NFL chances . Des Moines Register . April 27, 2017.
  2. Web site: Saubert Headed to East-West Shrine Game. December 19, 2017. GoDrakeBulldogs.com. Drake Athletic Communications. December 5, 2016.
  3. Web site: Drake's Eric Saubert impressing as a draft prospect at Shrine Bowl. December 19, 2017. desmoinesregister.com. Cody Goodwin. January 17, 2017.
  4. Web site: Saubert Excels at 92nd East-West Shrine Game. December 19, 2017. GoDrakeBulldogs.com. Drake Athletic Communications. January 24, 2017.
  5. Web site: Saubert Accepts Invitations To Reese's Senior Bowl. December 19, 2017. GoDrakeBulldogs.com. Drake Athletic Communications. January 26, 2017.
  6. Web site: NFL Combine 2017: Complete list of invited players. December 18, 2017. Cleveland.com. Scott Patsko. February 27, 2017.
  7. Web site: NFL Combine results 2017: Full tight end numbers. December 18, 2017. SBnation.com. Harry Lyles. March 5, 2017.
  8. Web site: Drake football's Eric Saubert shines at Iowa State's Pro Day. December 19, 2017. desmoinesregister.com. Eric Saubert. March 28, 2016.
  9. Web site: Eric Saubert, DS #13 TE, Drake. December 19, 2017. DraftScout.com.
  10. Web site: Falcons Select TE Eric Saubert With No. 174 Pick In NFL Draft. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051416/http://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/blog/article-1/Falcons-Select-TE-Eric-Saubert-With-No-174-Pick-in-NFL-Draft/4fdb2b46-51fa-4d56-a633-e02345489e91. 2017-12-22. Conway, Kelsey. AtlantaFalcons.com. April 29, 2017. May 13, 2017.
  11. Web site: 2017 NFL Draft Listing . 2023-05-17 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  12. Web site: Spotrac.com: Eric Saubert contract. December 19, 2017. Spotrac.com.
  13. Web site: First official Falcons depth chart for 2017 season. https://web.archive.org/web/20210603051553/https://thefalconswire.usatoday.com/2017/09/02/first-official-falcons-depth-chart-for-2017-season/amp/. dead. June 3, 2021. December 19, 2017. thefalconswire.usatoday.com. Tim Weaver. September 2, 2017.
  14. Web site: NFL Player stats: Eric Staubert (2017). December 19, 2017. NFL.com.
  15. Web site: Eric Saubert. August 12, 2019. pro-football-reference.com.
  16. Web site: Falcons agree to trade Eric Saubert to Patriots for a conditional pick. August 12, 2019. AtlantaFalcons.com.
  17. Web site: Yang . Nicole . Patriots rumor roundup: Here's who won't make New England's 53-man roster . Boston.com . August 31, 2019.
  18. Web site: Smith . Tyler J. . Raiders sign TE Eric Saubert, RB Demarea Crockett to practice squad . Silver And Black Pride . September 1, 2019 . September 1, 2019.
  19. Web site: Roster moves: Bears sign two; place two on IR. Mayer, Larry. ChicagoBears.com. November 30, 2019.
  20. News: Finley. Patrick. Bears put TE Eric Saubert on Reserve/COVID-19 list. Chicago Sun-Times. July 29, 2020. July 29, 2020.
  21. News: Mayer, Larry . Roster Move: Saubert put on reserve/COVID list . ChicagoBears.com . July 29, 2020 . July 30, 2020.
  22. News: Mayer, Larry . Roster Moves: Bears activate two, Lucas opts out . ChicagoBears.com . August 3, 2020 . August 3, 2020.
  23. Web site: Roster Moves: Bears elevate Santos, cut Saubert. Mayer. Larry. 16 September 2020. Chicago Bears. 16 September 2020.
  24. News: Eric Saubert: Finds new home . CBSSports.com . September 20, 2020 . October 5, 2020.
  25. News: Johnson, James . Jaguars elevate 2 from practice squad, activate RB Devine Ozigbo . USAToday.com . October 24, 2020 . November 8, 2020.
  26. News: Jaguars Make Roster Moves Before Tomorrow's Game Against Pittsburgh . Jaguars.com . November 21, 2020 . December 27, 2020 . December 2, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202184424/https://www.jaguars.com/news/jaguars-make-roster-moves-before-tomorrow-s-game-against-pittsburgh . dead .
  27. News: DiLalla, Aric . Broncos sign TE Eric Saubert, release QB Jeff Driskel . DenverBroncos.com . May 3, 2021 . May 3, 2021.
  28. Web site: Pro Football Reference. .
  29. News: Ryan O’Halloran . Eric Saubert's long wait for first touchdown catch ends in win over Chargers . DenverPost.com . November 29, 2021 . November 29, 2021.
  30. Web site: Broncos sign TE Eric Saubert to one-year deal. DiLalla, Aric. DenverBroncos.com. May 4, 2022.
  31. Web site: Miami Dolphins Sign David Long Jr. and Eric Saubert. MiamiDolphins.com. March 17, 2023.
  32. Web site: Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves. MiamiDolphins.com. August 29, 2023.
  33. Web site: Brock . Todd . Cowboys add 4 to practice squad, including big tight end . Cowboys Wire . 25 October 2023.
  34. Web site: Houston Texans Transactions (10-31-2023) . HoustonTexans.com . 1 November 2023.
  35. Web site: 49ers Sign TE Saubert and RB Taylor Jr. to One-Year Deals. 49ers.com. April 8, 2024. April 8, 2024.