Wayne Matthews (American football)
American football player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayne Eugene Matthews III (born July 10, 2002)[1] is an American professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and the Old Dominion Monarchs.
Largo, Maryland, U.S.
| No. 35 – Chicago Bears | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Practice squad |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 10, 2002 Largo, Maryland, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 221 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Flowers (Springdale, Maryland) |
| College | Old Dominion (2021-2023) Michigan State (2024–2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Matthews attended Charles Herbert Flowers High School. As a junior, he notched 79 tackles with eight being for a loss, and three sacks.[2] Coming out of high school, Matthews was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs.[3]
College career
Old Dominion
As a freshman in 2021, Matthews played in three games where he recorded no statistics, using the season to redshirt.[3] In 2022, he played in ten games, notching 13 tackles and a forced fumble.[4] During the 2023 season, Matthews tallied 135 tackles with nine and a half being for a loss, three and a half sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles, earning third-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors.[4] After the season, Matthews entered the NCAA transfer portal.[5]
Michigan State
Matthews transferred to play for the Michigan State Spartans.[6]
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 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.97 m) | 4.85 s | 1.62 s | 2.82 s | 4.27 s | 7.20 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 20 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Matthews signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2026.[9] He was waived on August 30 and re-signed to the practice squad.[10][11]