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Jim Dray
refer to caption
Dray (right) with the Browns in 2014
Chicago Bears
Position:Tight ends coach
Personal information
Born: (1986-12-31) December 31, 1986 (age 37)
New Milford, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school: Bergen Catholic
( Oradell, New Jersey)
College: Stanford
NFL draft: 2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 233
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
  • Stanford ( 2018)
    Offensive assistant
  • Cleveland Browns ( 2019)
    Offensive quality control coach
  • Arizona Cardinals ( 20202021)
    Offensive quality control coach
  • Chicago Bears ( 2022–present)
    Tight ends coach
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:56
Receiving yards:605
Receiving average:10.8
Receiving touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com

James Russell Dray (born December 31, 1986) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently the tight ends coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. [1] He also played for the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers.

Early years

Born in New Milford, New Jersey, Dray grew up in nearby Paramus and played high school football at Bergen Catholic High School. [2] [3] [4]

Playing career

Arizona Cardinals

On July 8, 2010, the Cardinals signed Dray to a four-year contract. [5] The team did not announce the terms of the deal, but Adam Caplan of Foxsports.com reported that the contract was worth $1.84 million with a $49,000 signing bonus. [6]

As a rookie in the 2010 season, Dray appeared in all 16 games and started three. He had three receptions for 47 yards on the year. [7] In the 2011 season, Dray appeared in ten games and had two receptions for 25 yards. [8] In the 2012 season, Dray appeared in 13 games and had two receptions for 15 yards to go with a special teams role. [9]

Dray had a significant increase in usage in the offense in the 2013 season. He scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. [10] He had 26 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 15 starts. [11]

Cleveland Browns

On March 13, 2014, he signed with the Cleveland Browns. [12] In the 2014 season, Dray appeared in 16 games and started ten. He finished the season with 17 receptions, for 242 yards, and one touchdown on 28 targets while having a special teams role. [13] In Dray's 2015 season, he had six receptions for 61 yards and played special teams. He appeared in all 16 games and started ten. [14] On February 18, 2016, Dray was released. [15]

Buffalo Bills

Dray signed with the Buffalo Bills on March 16, 2016. [16] After four games with the team, he was released on October 4, 2016. [17]

San Francisco 49ers

Dray signed with the San Francisco 49ers on December 19, 2016. [18] He appeared in six games and started two in the 2016 season. [19]

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On September 15, 2017, Dray signed with the Cardinals, but was released four days later. [20] [21] He played in one game in the 2017 season, which was Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts. [22]

Coaching career

Stanford

Following his playing career, Dray started his coaching career at his alma mater Stanford as an offensive assistant. [23]

Cleveland Browns

In 2019, Dray was hired by the Cleveland Browns as an offensive quality control coach. [24]

Arizona Cardinals

After a year with the Browns, Dray went to the Cardinals at the same position. [25]

Chicago Bears

Dray was hired as the tight ends coach under new Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy on February 6, 2022. [26]

References

  1. ^ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "Jim Dray - Football". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Garafolo, Mike (February 26, 2010). "Former Bergen Catholic star Jim Dray to have his day at NFL Scouting Combine". NJ.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Ditrani, Vinny (February 26, 2010). "Paramus' Jim Dray looks to sway NFL teams at combine". NorthJersey.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
  5. ^ "Cardinals Sign 7th Round Draft Pick Jim Dray To Four-Year, $1.84 Million Contract". Revenge of the Birds. July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Urban, Darren (July 8, 2010). "Dray First Draftee To Sign". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010.
  7. ^ "Jim Dray 2010 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Jim Dray 2011 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Jim Dray 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals - October 6th, 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Jim Dray 2013 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Pokomy, Chris (March 13, 2014). "Cleveland Browns Sign TE Jim Dray". Dawgs By Nature. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Jim Dray 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  14. ^ "Jim Dray 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Sessler, Marc (February 18, 2016). "Browns terminate contracts of Randy Starks, Jim Dray". NFL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  16. ^ Brown, Chris (March 16, 2016). "Bills sign free agent TE Jim Dray". Buffalo Bills. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  17. ^ Brown, Chris (October 4, 2016). "Bills release TE Dray; promote TE Christian from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  18. ^ "49ers Place TE Blake Bell on IR, Announce Additional Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 19, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  19. ^ "Jim Dray 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  20. ^ Root, Jess (September 15, 2017). "Cardinals sign veteran TE Jim Dray, cut LB Philip Wheeler again". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  21. ^ Williams, Charean (September 19, 2017). "Cardinals release Jim Dray". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Jim Dray 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Edwards, Josh (January 14, 2019). "Ex-Browns TE Jim Dray added to Freddie Kitchens' staff". 247Sports. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "Browns add to coaching staff". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  25. ^ Anderson, Jake (February 6, 2022). "Report: Bears hire Cardinals assistant Jim Dray as new tight ends coach". Arizona Sports. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  26. ^ Mayer, Larry (February 7, 2022). "Bears add Jim Dray as tight ends coach". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.

External links