Bronson Kaufusi
refer to caption
Kaufusi with the BYU Cougars in 2015
Personal information
Born: (1991-07-06) July 6, 1991
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:Timpview (Provo, Utah)
College:BYU
Position:Tight end
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 3 / Pick: 70
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:8
Sacks:0.5
Pass deflections:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Bronson Kaufusi (born July 6, 1991) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at BYU.

Early years

Kaufusi attended Timpview High School in Provo, Utah. He had 70 tackles and 9.5 sacks as junior and 19 tackles and two sacks his senior year before suffering an injury. Kaufusi was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was committed to the Brigham Young University (BYU) to play college football.[1]

At high school football camps, Kaufusi primarily played tight end. However, his high school team did not use tight ends.[2]

College career

After spending two years on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auckland, New Zealand, Kaufusi played for the first time at BYU in 2012. He played in all 13 games and had 23 tackles and 4.5 sacks.[3] After the season, he played in 20 games for BYU's basketball team.[4][5] As a sophomore in 2013, he had 41 tackles, four sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown. After spending his first two years as a defensive lineman, Kaufusi moved to linebacker his junior year.[6][7] He finished the season 48 tackles and seven sacks.[8] He moved back to defensive end his senior year and recorded 64 tackles and 11 sacks.[9]

Professional career

On January 8, 2016, Bronson announced that he had received and accepted an invitation to the 2016 Senior Bowl. On January 30, 2016, he attended the Reese's Senior Bowl and was a part of the South's defensive line that dominated and led them to a 27–16 victory.[10] He attended the NFL Combine and completed all of the required combine drills. Kaufusi performed well and finished 17th among defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash, fifth in the three-cone drill, tied Michigan State's Shilique Calhoun for fourth in the short shuttle, and finished 20th among defensive linemen in the bench press.[11] On March 25, 2016, Kaufusi participated at BYU's pro day, along with Mitch Mathews, Ryker Mathews, Manoa Pikula, Graham Rowley, and six other prospects.[12] Team representatives and scouts from 18 NFL teams attended to scout Kaufusi, who was the main attraction, as he opted to only run positional and stand on his combine numbers.[13] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kaufusi was projected as a second or third round prospect by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the ninth best defensive end prospect by NFLDraftScout.com and the tenth best by NFL analyst Mike Mayock.[14][15]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 6+1⁄2 in
(1.99 m)		 285 lb
(129 kg)		 34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.87 s1.69 s2.84 s4.25 s7.03 s30 in
(0.76 m)		9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		25 reps
All values from NFL Combine,[16]

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens selected Kaufusi in the third round (70th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[17] He was the only BYU player drafted in 2016 and the second of three edge rushers selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Ravens drafted Boise State's Kamalei Correa in the second round (42nd overall) and Grand Valley State's Matthew Judon in the fifth round (146th overall).[18]

2016

On June 14, 2016, the Baltimore Ravens signed Kaufusi to a four-year, $3.45 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $845,016.[19]

He competed with Lawrence Guy, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Mario Ojemudia throughout training camp for the backup defensive end position.[20] On August 30, 2016, he was placed on injured/reserve after breaking his ankle in training camp.[21][22] He missed the entire 2016 season.

2017

Kaufusi competed with Brandon Williams, Carl Davis, Willie Henry throughout training camp for the vacant starting defensive end position left by the departure of Timmy Jernigan via trade.[23] Head coach John Harbaugh named Kaufusi the backup left defensive end to Brent Urban to begin the regular season.[24]

2018

On September 1, 2018, Kaufusi was waived by the Ravens.[25]

New York Jets

On September 3, 2018, Kaufusi was signed to the New York Jets' practice squad.[26] He was promoted to the active roster on October 1, 2018.[27] He was waived on October 5, 2018, and was re-signed back to the practice squad.[28][29] He was promoted back to the active roster on December 8, 2018.[30]

On October 4, 2019, Kaufusi was released by the Jets and re-signed to the practice squad.[31] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on December 30, 2019.[32] At the end of the 2019 season, Jets head coach Adam Gase moved him from defense to the tight end position.[2]

On September 5, 2020, Kaufusi was released by the Jets and signed to the practice squad the next day.[33][34] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.[35]

Green Bay Packers

On January 15, 2021, Kaufusi signed a reserve/future contract with the Green Bay Packers.[36]

On August 31, 2021, Packers released Kaufusi as part of their final roster cuts.[37] Kaufusi was resigned to the practice squad the next day.[38]

Career statistics

Career statistics Tackles Sacks Interceptions Other
Season Team Games Solo Ast Total Sack YdsL Int Yds IntTD DefTD FFum FRec PD Safety
2017 BAL 3 2 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 3 2 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

His father, Steve Kaufusi, was the defensive line coach for BYU and his brother, Corbin Kaufusi, is an offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers.[39][40] His wife, Hilary, also attended BYU and played on their soccer team. His mother, Michelle Kaufusi, is the current Mayor of Provo.

References

  1. ↑ "Yahoo Sports – Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games".
  2. 1 2 Huber, Bill (July 2, 2021). "Kaufusi Embraces Position Change to Tight End". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ Call, Jeff (April 30, 2013). "BYU's Bronson Kaufusi caps impressive, busy freshman season". Deseret News.
  4. ↑ "BYU football standout Bronson Kaufusi turns attention to Cougar basketball - KSL.com".
  5. ↑ Call, Jeff (December 27, 2012). "BYU's Bronson Kaufusi going from football to basketball (+video)". Deseret News.
  6. ↑ Gurney, Brandon (March 10, 2014). "BYU football: Bronson Kaufusi excited about switching from defensive end to outside linebacker". Deseret News.
  7. ↑ Herald, Jared Lloyd – Daily. "BYU football: "Skinny Bronson" Kaufusi looking natural at linebacker".
  8. ↑ Call, Jeff (March 7, 2015). "Is BYU's Bronson Kaufusi a linebacker, a D-lineman, or both?". Deseret News.
  9. ↑ Tribune, Jay Drew The Salt Lake. "BYU football: Bronson Kaufusi all smiles about return to defensive end (with video)".
  10. ↑ Nate Cunningham (January 8, 2016). "Bronson Kaufusi accepts invitation to Senior Bowl". universe.BYU.edu. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  11. ↑ Kenny Cox (February 28, 2016). "Kaufusi turning heads at NFL Combine". cougarclub.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ Kevin Schaefer (April 28, 2017). "4 reasons BYU fans should follow the 2016 NFL Draft". vanquishthefoe.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  13. ↑ Gil Brandt (March 28, 2017). "BYU's Hail Mary hero could be 2016 draft selection". National Football League. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Bronson Kaufusi, DS #9 DE, BYU". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  15. ↑ Mike Mayock (April 25, 2016). "Mayock's top 100 draft prospect rankings". National Football League. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  16. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Bronson Kaufusi". National Football League.
  17. ↑ Mink, Ryan (April 29, 2016). "Round 3: Ravens Draft DE Bronson Kaufusi at No. 70". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Bronson Kaufusi contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Baltimore Ravens' depth chart: 08/01/2016". Ourlads.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  21. ↑ Downing, Garrett (August 4, 2016). "Rookie Bronson Kaufusi Breaks Ankle, Done For Season". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  22. ↑ Mink, Ryan (August 30, 2016). "Ravens Make Final Four Roster Moves To Get To 75". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Ourlads.Com: Baltimore Ravens' depth chart: 07/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ Evan Mazza (September 6, 2017). "Baltimore Ravens release Week 1 depth chart". Baltimorebeatdown.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  25. ↑ Mink, Ryan (September 1, 2018). "Ravens Make Final Cuts to 53 Players". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  26. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (September 3, 2018). "Jets Fill Out 10-Man Practice Squad With Six Players". NewYorkJets.com.
  27. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (October 1, 2018). "Jets Place OLB Josh Martin on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com.
  28. ↑ Allen, Eric (October 5, 2018). "Jets Claim LB Tarell Basham". NewYorkJets.com.
  29. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (October 8, 2018). "Jets Sign DL Bronson Kaufusi to Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com.
  30. ↑ "Jets Promote DL Bronson Kaufusi to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com. December 8, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  31. ↑ Allen, Eric (October 4, 2019). "Jets Claim OL Conor McDermott, Waive DL Bronson Kaufusi". NewYorkJets.com.
  32. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (December 30, 2019). "Jets Sign 9 to Reserve/Future Contracts". NewYorkJets.com.
  33. ↑ Lange, Randy (September 5, 2020). "Jets Move 27 to Get Their Roster to 53-Player Limit". NewYorkJets.com.
  34. ↑ Lange, Randy (September 6, 2020). "15 Signed to Practice Squad; All Were in Jets Training Camp". NewYorkJets.com.
  35. ↑ "Four players set free". FantasyGuru.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Packers elevate DL Brian Price and CB KeiVarae Russell for gameday". Packers.com. January 15, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Packers announce roster moves". packers.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Packers sign 16 players to practice squad". packers.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  39. ↑ Call, Jeff (August 25, 2015). "Kaufusis keeping it all in the BYU sports family – and cherishing their time together". Deseret News.
  40. ↑ Drew, Jay. "BYU football: Kaufusi enjoyed coaching one son, watching the other". The Salt Lake Tribune.
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