Eric Tomlinson

This article is about the American football player. For the English actor and comedian, see Ricky Tomlinson. For the recording engineer, see Eric Arthur Tomlinson.

Eric Tomlinson
refer to caption
Tomlinson with the Jets in 2017.
Personal information
Born: (1992-04-22) April 22, 1992 (age 32)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:263 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school:Klein (Klein, Texas)
College:UTEP (2011–2014)
Position:Tight end
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024
Receptions:27
Receiving yards:280
Receiving touchdowns:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Eric Tomlinson (born April 22, 1992) is an American professional football tight end who is currently a free agent. He played college football at UTEP. He previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, New York Jets, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Oakland Raiders.

Early life

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Tomlinson attended and played high school football at Klein High School.[1]

College career

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Tomlinson attended and played college football at UTEP, where he contributed from 2011–2014.[2]

Collegiate statistics

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Eric Tomlinson Receiving
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD
2011 UTEP CUSA FR TE 12 6 83 13.8 2
2012 UTEP CUSA SO TE 10 4 26 6.5 0
2013 UTEP CUSA JR TE 10 30 304 10.1 1
2014 UTEP CUSA SR TE 8 19 134 7.1 1
Career UTEP 40 59 547 9.3 4

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On December 11, 2014, it was announced that Tomlinson had accepted his invitation to appear in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, along with teammate Jameill Showers.[3] On January 17, 2015, he played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was part of Mike Holmgren's American team that lost 17–0.[4] Tomlinson was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had a mediocre performance overall, finishing ninth among his position group in the 40-yard dash and tenth in the bench press.[5] On April 9, 2015, Tomlinson attended UTEP's pro day and performed the majority of combine drills again. He was able to have a better showing than his day at the combine and lowered his times in the 40-yard dash (4.77s), 20-yard dash (4.82s), and 10-yard dash (1.73s). His unofficial time in the 40-yard dash would've been the third best time among all tight ends who participated at the combine. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Tomlinson was projected to be an undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 20th best tight end prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[6]

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 5+5⁄8 in
(1.97 m) 		263 lb
(119 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.77 s 1.73 s 2.82 s 4.54 s 7.46 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8]

Philadelphia Eagles

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After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Tomlinson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.[9] He was released during final roster cuts on September 4, 2015.

Houston Texans (first stint)

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On September 6, 2015, Tomlinson was signed to the Houston Texans' practice squad where he spent his entire rookie season. He was released on September 3, 2016, as part of final roster cuts.[10] The next day, he was signed to the Texans' practice squad.[11]

New York Jets

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Tomlinson was signed by the New York Jets off the Texans' practice squad on November 5, 2016.[12]

On September 10, 2017, Tomlinson recorded his first official receiving statistics in the season opener. He had two receptions for 25 yards in the 21–12 loss to the Buffalo Bills.[13] On October 29, 2017, Tomlinson scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Josh McCown in a game against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the 2018 season, Tomlinson played in 15 games with 12 starts, recording eight receptions for 72 yards before being placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2018.[14]

On August 25, 2018, Tomlinson was prominently featured in a Madden game on episode 2 of Rob and Akiva Need a Podcast named Calling Patriots at Jets in Madden. The game was commentated by Rob Cesternino and Akiva "Keev" Wienerkur. Tomlinson was targeted several times throughout the game by Jets quarterback Sam Darnold but the Jets ended up losing 10-3.[15]

On March 19, 2019, the Jets re-signed Tomlinson.[16] He was released on August 31, 2019.[17]

New York Giants (first stint)

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On September 1, 2019, Tomlinson was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[18] He was waived on September 24.[19]

New England Patriots

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On October 15, 2019, Tomlinson signed with the New England Patriots.[20] In his debut game, he recorded one catch for one yard against his former team, the New York Jets.[21] On October 29, 2019, Tomlinson was released by the Patriots.[22]

Oakland Raiders

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On December 11, 2019, Tomlinson was signed by the Oakland Raiders.[23]

New York Giants (second stint)

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On March 30, 2020, Tomlinson was signed by the New York Giants.[24] He was released during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020,[25] but was re-signed the next day.[26] He was released on October 2, 2020,[27] and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[28] He was promoted back to the active roster on October 6.[29] He was waived on November 13, 2020.[30]

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

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On November 23, 2020, Tomlinson was signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.[31] He was elevated to the active roster on December 2, 2020, December 8, 2020, December 14, 2020, and December 19, 2020, for the team's weeks 12, 13, 14, and 15 games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[32][33][34][35] He was promoted to the active roster on December 22, 2020.[36] On February 10, 2021, Tomlinson signed a one-year contract extension with the Ravens. On August 31, 2021, Tomlinson was released, but re-signed the next day.[37] He was released on November 1, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad. On November 11, 2021, Tomlinson was promoted to the active roster.[38]

Denver Broncos

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On March 16, 2022, Tomlinson signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos.[39] He was released by the Broncos during final roster cuts on August 30, 2022.[40] On August 31, Tomlinson re-signed with the Broncos.[41]

Houston Texans (second stint)

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On May 3, 2023, Tomlinson signed with the Houston Texans.[42] He was released on May 18.[43] He was re-signed on July 24, 2023.[44] He was released on August 29, 2023.[45]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

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On October 3, 2023, Tomlinson was signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.[46] He was released on November 14, 2023.[47]

Indianapolis Colts

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On January 2, 2024, Tomlinson was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.[48] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8.[49] He was released on August 27.[50]

Los Angeles Chargers

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On August 29, 2024, Tomlinson was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.[51] He was promoted to the active roster on September 7.[52]

References

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  1. ^ Salazar, Maria (December 14, 2018). "Texans fan taught Jets tight end Eric Tomlinson at Klein ISD". FOX 26 Houston. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Eric Tomlinson College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  3. ^ Nicolas, Alex (December 11, 2014). "UTEP Football: Jameill Showers, Eric Tomlinson Accept Invite to NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". MinerRush.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Cook, Steven (January 16, 2015). "Collegiate Bowl 2015 Rosters". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017. [dead link]
  5. ^ Brady, James (February 22, 2015). "NFL Combine 2015: Full results for tight ends". SBNation.com. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "Eric Tomlinson, DS #20 TE, UTEP". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Eric Tomlinson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "2015 NFL Draft Scout Eric Tomlinson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  9. ^ Bowen, Les (August 21, 2015). "Rookie TE Eric Tomlinson impressing Eagles". Inquirer.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans down to 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans sign 8 to practice squad". HoustonTexans.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017.
  12. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 5, 2016). "Jets Sign TE Tomlinson, Waive LB Ochi". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  14. ^ "Jets Place TE Tomlinson on IR, Bring Back TE Walford". NewYorkJets.com. December 27, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Rob & Akiva Need a Podcast #2: Calling Patriots at Jets in Madden". August 26, 2018.
  16. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (March 19, 2019). "Jets Re-Sign TE Eric Tomlinson". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Lange, Randy (August 31, 2019). "Jets Announce 38 Moves to Get Down to 53-Man Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2019). "Giants place CB Sam Beal on IR, sign TE Eric Tomlinson and 8 to practice squad". Giants.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Benton, Dan (September 24, 2019). "Giants to re-sign LB Nate Stupar, waive Eric Tomlinson". Giants Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "Patriots Make A Series of Roster Moves". Patriots.com. October 15, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  21. ^ "New England Patriots at New York Jets - October 21st, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  22. ^ Dolloff, Matt (October 29, 2019). "Patriots release TE Eric Tomlinson to open up spot on 53-man roster". 985TheSportsHub.com. 98.5 The Sports Hub. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  23. ^ "Raiders sign Olsen Pierre and Eric Tomlinson and promote Nick Nelson". Raiders.com. December 11, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  24. ^ Salomone, Dan (March 28, 2020). "Reports: Giants agree to terms with TE Eric Tomlinson". Giants.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  25. ^ Eisen, Michael (September 5, 2020). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  26. ^ Eisen, Michael (September 6, 2020). "S Xavier McKinney, LB David Mayo placed on IR". Giants.com. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  27. ^ "Peppers to miss Rams game, Giants sign Chandler to roster". APNews.com. October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Benton, Dan (October 4, 2020). "Giants sign TE Eric Tomlinson to practice squad". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  29. ^ Williams, Charean (October 6, 2020). "Giants waive Sean Chandler, promote Eric Tomlinson". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Eisen, Michael (November 13, 2020). "Giants place Devonta Freeman on IR; Alfred Morris, Montre Hartage signed off practice squad". Giants.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  31. ^ Benton, Dan (November 24, 2020). "Ex-Giant Eric Tomlinson signs to Ravens' practice squad". Giants Wire. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  32. ^ Valente, Tom (December 2, 2020). "Press Release: Ravens Roster Moves". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  33. ^ Brown, Clifton (December 8, 2020). "Anthony Averett Activated, Two Called Up From Practice Squad". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  34. ^ Brown, Clifton (December 14, 2020). "Jimmy Smith Active Against Browns". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  35. ^ Williams, Charean (December 19, 2020). "Ravens activate Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, James Proche". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Alper, Josh (December 22, 2020). "Ravens sign Eric Tomlinson to active roster". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  37. ^ Brown, Clifton (February 10, 2021). "Ravens Re-Sign TE Eric Tomlinson". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  38. ^ Mink, Ryan (November 11, 2021). "Ravens Activate Chris Westry, Bring Up Eric Tomlinson to 53-Man Roster". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  39. ^ Payne, Scotty (March 15, 2022). "Report: Broncos agreed to terms with tight end Eric Tomlinson". Mile High Report. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  40. ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 30, 2022). "Broncos make series of roster moves to reach 53-player limit". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  41. ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 31, 2022). "Broncos sign NT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  42. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-3-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. May 3, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  43. ^ Levine, Ben (May 18, 2023). "Texans Release TE Eric Tomlinson". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  44. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (7-24-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  45. ^ "Texans announce initial 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. August 29, 2023.
  46. ^ Erby, Glenn (October 3, 2023). "Ravens sign 3 players to the practice squad, release Dontay Demus Jr". Ravens Wire. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  47. ^ Grindley, Wyatt (November 14, 2023). "Ravens Signing OT Josh Wells To PS, Releasing TE Eric Tomlinson". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  48. ^ "Colts sign WR Juwann Winfree to 53-man roster from practice squad, sign TE Eric Tomlinson to practice squad". Colts.com. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  49. ^ "Colts sign 9 to reserve/future contracts, 4 to one-year contract extensions, waive CB Tony Brown". Colts.com. January 8, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  50. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (August 27, 2024). "Colts make roster moves to form initial 53-man roster for 2024 regular season". Colts.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  51. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Acquire Quarterback Taylor Heinicke". Chargers.com. August 29, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  52. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Place DJ Chark Jr. on Injured Reserve; Sign Eric Tomlinson to Active Roster". Chargers.com. September 7, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
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