Chris Manhertz
Chris Manhertz (born April 10, 1992) is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college basketball at Canisius College.
 Manhertz with the Panthers in 2019 | |||||||||
| No. 82 – Carolina Panthers | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 10, 1992 New York City, New York | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Cardinal Spellman (The Bronx) | ||||||||
| College: | Canisius | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2015 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||
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Early life
Manhertz was born in the Bronx, New York. He attended Cardinal Spellman High School, then Canisius College, a Buffalo, New York-based Catholic school that had abolished its football program in 2003. Manhertz played for the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball squad from 2010 to 2014, where he was a standout player and three-year captain for the squad.[1][2]
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Upon graduating college, Manhertz, who had never before played football and whose only experience with the game came from the Madden NFL series,[3] began training to change sports and pursue a career in professional football. He was offered a tryout from the Buffalo Bills and was signed a future/reserve contract in May 2015, although coach Rex Ryan admitted his chances of making the roster were a longshot. He did not make the Bills' preseason roster.
New Orleans Saints
Manhertz joined the New Orleans Saints after being released by the Bills and spent the season on the Saints' practice squad.[4] Manhertz made the Saints' active roster to start the 2016 season and made his NFL debut on September 18, 2016.[5] He was released on October 16, 2016.
Carolina Panthers
Manhertz was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on October 17, 2016.[6]
He played in 16 games with four starts in 2017 in place of the injured Greg Olsen, recording two catches for 17 yards. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 17 and was placed on injured reserve.[7]
In Week 15 of the 2018 season, Manhertz caught his first career touchdown on a trick-play 50-yard pass from running back Christian McCaffrey.[8]
On January 29, 2019, Manhertz signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers and was named the starter for the 2020 NFL Season.[9]
Career Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost
L | ||||
| 2016 | NO | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | CAR | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CAR | 16 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | CAR | 16 | 4 | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | CAR | 15 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 54 | 16 | 6 | 90 | 15.0 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- Chris Manhertz bio at GoGriffins.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- Graham, Tim (September 15, 2017). "Jumping through hoops: Chris Manhertz's journey from Canisius College basketball to Carolina tight end". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- From virtual reality to reality: Chris Manhertz looking to join Bills after never playing football Archived January 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. WKBW-TV (May 19, 2016). Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- Skurski, Jay. "Chris Manhertz set to join New Orleans Saints' practice squad". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- Erickson, Joel. "Saints look to young tight ends to fill holes after injuries strike position". The Advocate. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- "Panthers claim TE Chris Manhertz". Panthers.com. October 17, 2016. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017.
- Strickland, Bryan (January 2, 2018). "TE Manhertz placed on IR; OT Clausell promoted". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018.
- Lovell, Blake (December 18, 2018). "Christian McCaffrey Throws 50-Yard Touchdown Pass Vs. Saints". ClutchPoints. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Strickland, Bryan (January 29, 2019). "Chris Manhertz signs two-year contract". Panthers.com.