Tellis Redmon is an NFL vagabond.
He’s already been cut – twice, by two different NFL teams. Since coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2002, the former University of Minnesota running back has been to training camps with Baltimore and Seattle. He’s also spent a summer playing overseas.
After getting cut by the Seahawks last August, Redmon went back to school to attain his degree and eventually get a real job.
Then the Seahawks came calling again last spring. And Redmon took them back like a jilted lover, temporarily pushing aside his college degree.
As long as his dream of playing in the NFL is alive, Redmon is going to chase it.
“I don’t lose the faith,” said Redmon, a 25-year-old running back. “I keep on going because I know I can play in this league. I’m going to keep on trying until somebody lets me play on their team.”
This is the time of year when many NFL dreams die, and Redmon is among those who don’t want to wake up. He’s back at the Seahawks’ training camp, but only gets one more shot at making an impression.
Following tonight’s game in San Diego, the Seahawks have three days to trim 18 players from their 92-man roster. Players like Redmon, guard Jeff Roehl and defensive tackle John Schlecht are all on the bubble – an experience that isn’t new to any of them.
While Redmon has never made an NFL team’s final cut, Roehl and Schlecht know what it’s like to be on the 53-man roster. Roehl (New York Giants) and Schlecht (San Francisco) have played in the NFL before, but saw their dreams temporarily dashed after being cut earlier this summer.
“There are a lot of guys that have been cut that are good enough to play,” said Schlecht, a 26-year-old defensive tackle who also played college football at Minnesota. “It just depends on where you are. And there are also a lot of guys who are playing somewhere who probably shouldn’t be. So a lot of it has to do with getting a chance and getting an opportunity to play.”
Redmon is the biggest long shot because he’s already been cut multiple times. The Seahawks like his potential as a return man and running back in the West Coast system, but there just isn’t any room for Redmon on an already back-heavy roster.
They already cut him last summer, when he wasn’t one of the team-record six running backs kept on the opening day roster. Seeing no other opportunities to play, Redmon went back to school.
“I had to start thinking about a backup plan because I know this isn’t guaranteed,” he said of playing in the NFL. “I might have to follow Plan B and get my degree.”
Plan B, at least for now, is returning to Colleyville High School in Texas to work as an assistant coach. But Redmon isn’t willing to give up on Plan A.
“I’d say I’ve got three or four more years in me,” he said. “After that, I won’t try anymore.”
Roehl is also chasing an NFL dream that at one time looked doubtful.
This time last year, he was living a charmed life as an undrafted rookie who played so well at Giants’ training camp that he eventually made the final roster. Twelve plays into his first NFL game, he got thrown into the lineup at left tackle, thanks to an injury to starter Luke Petitgout. Roehl’s first task was to try to block St. Louis defensive end Grant Wistrom, who is now a Seahawks teammate.
Roehl started the next two games at left tackle but performed so poorly that he eventually got benched. By the time Tom Coughlin took over as head coach last spring, Roehl was given his walking papers.
“At this level, I still have to establish myself as a lineman in the NFL,” said Roehl, who played collegiately at both Notre Dame and Northwestern. “It’s a great opportunity just being in a camp and having a shot to do that.”
Schlecht’s career has been similar in that he spent three seasons in the NFL before the 49ers gave up on him. The Seahawks claimed Schlecht off waivers on July 8.
Since being a 6-foot, 210-pound high school lineman who couldn’t get any Division I college offers, Schlecht has continually made believers out of those who said he couldn’t get it done. He spent his freshman year at D-II St. Cloud State, transferred to Minnesota, then made the 49ers’ roster as an undrafted rookie.
“I’m the kind of person where it’s always an uphill battle,” he said. “I’m not going to quit. I’m just going to keep going.
“I know that if it doesn’t work out in the end, it will all work out. I’ve already overcome so much as it is, all through college and the first few years in the NFL. So it’s satisfying.”
Roehl and Schlecht have finances on their side. As players who made the 53-man roster, each earned six-figure salaries. Redmon, on the other hand, earned only about $500 per week during past camps.
Paying the bills can be problematic for an NFL vagabond. Eventually, they all have to settle down and get a real job.
Redmon is hoping tonight’s game isn’t his last in an NFL uniform.
“I’m just trying to elevate my game,” he said, “try to step up so I’ll make the cut.”
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