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Josh Blackwell
American football player (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josh Blackwell (born April 5, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.
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Buford, Georgia, U.S.
Blackwell with the Chicago Bears in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 39 – Chicago Bears | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback / Return specialist | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | April 5, 1999 Buford, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 179 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Buford | ||||||||||||||
| College | Duke (2017–2021) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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* Offseason or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+3⁄4 in (1.80 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 30+1⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 8+1⁄8 in (0.21 m) | 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 4.34 s | 1.55 s | 2.56 s | 4.31 s | 6.75 s | 37.0 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) | 11 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[1] | ||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Blackwell was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.[2] He was waived by Philadelphia on August 30, 2022, as part of the team's final roster cuts.[3]
Chicago Bears
On August 31, 2022, Blackwell was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Bears.[4] On January 4, 2023, he was placed on injured reserve.[5]
Blackwell entered the 2023 season as a backup cornerback. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2023.[6] He was activated on November 9.[7]
During the 2024 season, Blackwell was occasionally tasked with returning punts. In the final game against the Green Bay Packers, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a 94-yard punt return, giving the Bears an early 7–0 lead.[8] The Bears went on to win 24–22, and Blackwell was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[9]
On March 6, 2025, Blackwell signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears.[10] In Week 4, he blocked a game-winning field goal attempt to preserve the Bears' 25–24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.[11] In Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, Blackwell recovered a Cairo Santos onside kick late in the fourth quarter, helping propel Chicago to an eventual 22-16 overtime victory.[12]
