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Ja'Wuan James

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Ja'Wuan James
refer to caption
James with the Miami Dolphins in 2014
Personal information
Born:(1992-06-03)June 3, 1992(age 32)
Atlanta, Georgia,U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:323 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:North Gwinnett
(Suwanee, Georgia)
College:Tennessee(2010–2013)
Position:Offensive tackle
NFL draft:2014/ Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:66
Games started:66
Player stats atPFR

Ja'Wuan Amir James(born June 3, 1992) is an American professionalfootballoffensive tacklewho is a free agent. He was selected by theMiami Dolphinsin the first round of the2014 NFL draft.He playedcollege footballfor theTennessee Volunteers.He has also played for theDenver BroncosandBaltimore Ravens.

Early life

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James attendedNorth Gwinnett High SchoolinSuwanee, Georgia,where he was teammates withAustin Shepherd.[1]In his sophomore season, North Gwinnett advanced to theGHSAClass 5A state championship game with 13–2 record, where they lost 34–6 toValdosta Lowndesled byGreg ReidandTelvin Smith.[2]As a junior, James helped North Gwinnett to a berth in state quarterfinals behind 10–3 finish, where they lost 20–3 toAlec Ogletree'sNewnan.[3]In James's senior season, North Gwinnett finished with a 13–1 mark, earning Region 7-5A championship while advancing to the state quarterfinals, where they lost 35–0 toCamden County.[4]After the season, James was selected Class 5A All-State by Georgia Sportswriters, and was invited to play in the2010 Under Armour All-America GameinSt. Petersburg, Florida.

Considered a four-star recruit byRivals.com,he was rated the eighth bestoffensive tackleprospect in his class and the sixth best prospect fromGeorgia.[5]He was such a highly sought after prospect thatTennessee'shead coachLane Kiffinwanted to land a helicopter on North Gwinnett's softball field in an attempt to impress James, but was unable to receive clearance from the high school.[6]

College career

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James attended theUniversity of Tennesseefrom 2010 to 2013.[7]He started 49 consecutive games for the Volunteers, all atright tackle.His 49 starts set a record for career starts by anoffensive linemanin Tennessee history (passingJeff Smith's 48 starts from 1992 to 1995).[8]He played on an elite offensive line that produced four NFL offensive linemen with three of them going on to become starters.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On December 9, 2013, it was announced that James and teammateDaniel McCullershad accepted their invitations to the2014 Senior Bowl.[9]On January 24, 2014, it was reported that James would unfortunately miss theReese's Senior Bowlafter suffering a sprained knee during practice. His performances at practice were well-received and helped his draft stock.[10]James was one of 50 collegiate linemen to attend theNFL Scouting CombineinIndianapolis, Indiana.Tennessee had a record four offensive linemen attend the combine, that include James,James Stone,Antonio Richardson,andZach Fulton.He performed all of the combine drills well and finished sixth among all offensive linemen in thethree-cone drilland ninth in theshort shuttle.[11]On April 2, 2014, he attended Tennessee'spro day,along with Fulton, Richardson, Stone, McCullers,Jacques Smith,Rajion Neal,Michael Palardy,and seven other prospects. He opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills for scouts and representatives from all 32 NFL teams, that includedSeattle Seahawks' offensive line coachTom Cable.During the draft process, James had private workouts and meetings with a few teams, including theTennessee TitansandMiami Dolphins.[12]At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, James projected to be a first to third round pick byNFL draftexperts and scouts. He was ranked the sixth best offensive tackle prospect by NFLDraftScout.com, the ninth best offensive tackle in the draft by NFL analystMike Mayock,and 15th best offensive linemen bySports Illustrated.[13][14][15]

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 6 in
(1.98 m) 		311 lb
(141 kg) 		35 in
(0.89 m) 		9+7⁄8in
(0.25 m)		 5.34 s 1.86 s 3.08 s 4.56 s 7.42 s 29 in
(0.74 m)		 8 ft 7 in
(2.62 m)		 22 reps
All values fromNFL Combine[16]

Miami Dolphins

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2014

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TheMiami Dolphinsselected James in the first round (19th overall) of the2014 NFL draft.[17]He was the fourth offensive linemen selected in 2014.[18]James was the highest selected Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman sinceCharles McRaeandAntone Davisin1991.[19]On June 19, 2014, the Dolphins signed James to a fully guaranteed four-year, $8.42 million contract that includes asigning bonusof $4.44 million.[20]James enteredtraining campslated as the starting right tackle with newly acquired free agentBranden Albertstarting on the blindside. Head coachJoe Philbinnamed James the official starting right tackle to begin the regular season.[21]

He made his first career start and professional regular season debut in the Dolphins' season-opening 33–20 victory over theNew England Patriots.[22]In the first four games, James yielded only onesackand ranked as the tenth best run blocker and 20th best offensive tackles overall among the 67 offensive tackles that qualified. He was considered an improvement over former starting right tacklesTyson ClaboandJonathan Martin.[23]In Week 10, he was moved to left tackle after starter Albert was placed oninjured reservefor the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury.[24]He started 16 games for the Dolphins in2014.[25]He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[26]

2015

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James returned to the starting right tackle position to start training camp and remained the starter to begin the regular season.[27]He started the first seven games of the2015 seasonbefore suffering a toe injury and being placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.[28]James finished with seven starts on the 2015 season.[29]

2016

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James remained the starting right tackle, opposite Albert, to begin the2016season under new head coachAdam Gase.The Dolphins drafted the top ranked offensive tackle prospectLaremy Tunsilwith the 13th overall pick, but opted to use him as an offensive guard for his first season.

He started 16 consecutive games at right tackle and helped the Dolphins achieve a 10–6 record and place second in theAFC East.[30][31]On January 8, 2017, James started in his first career playoff game as the Dolphins were defeated 30-12 by thePittsburgh Steelersin theAFCWild Card Round.[32]

2017

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On May 1, 2017, the Miami Dolphins exercised the fifth-year, $9.34 million option on James' rookie contract for the 2018 season.[33]He started the first eight games of the season at right tackle before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 9 against theOakland RaidersonSunday Night Football.He was placed on injured reserve on November 11, 2017.[34][35]

2018

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James started 15 games at right tackle in 2018, missing one game with a knee injury.[36]

Denver Broncos

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On March 13, 2019, James signed a four-year, $51 million deal with theDenver Broncos.[37][38]He only played in three games in 2019 due to a knee injury suffered in Week 1.

On August 3, 2020, James announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[39]

On May 4, 2021, James tore his Achilles tendon while training away from the team facility.[40]He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury liston May 7, 2021.[41]and released from the list on May 14, 2021.[42]

Baltimore Ravens

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On June 10, 2021, James signed a two-year, $9 million contract with theBaltimore Ravens.[43][44]He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on August 31, 2021, to start the season.[45]On December 8, 2021, James was designated to return to practice from reserve/non-football injury list.[46]

On September 14, 2022, the Ravens placed James on injured reserve after he tore hisAchilles tendonagain in the 2022 season opener against theNew York Jets.[47][48][49]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Starts
2014 MIA 16 16
2015 MIA 7 7
2016 MIA 16 16
2017 MIA 8 8
2018 MIA 15 15
2019 DEN 3 3
Career 65 65

Personal life

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James grew up inNew Jerseyand moved toAtlanta, Georgia,in eighth grade. He was raised by his mother, Nichelle James-Mickens, and his father, Burkley James. Throughout his childhood he mainly played basketball and briefly played baseball before becoming bored with it. He decided to play football after moving to Georgia.[6]

On July 12, 2017, James announced viaTwitterthat he became engaged to his longtime college girlfriend Rainey Gaffin. She was a member of the Tennessee Volunteers softball team from 2013 to 2016.[50]

References

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  1. ^Kalil, Fred (May 8, 2014)."Ja'Wuan James awaits fate in NFL draft".11Alive.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  2. ^Walsh, Chris (December 16, 2007)."Lowndes claims state title, 34–6".Valdosta Daily Times.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  3. ^"Newnan Defense Keys Win Over North Gwinnett In Rematch".Times-Herald.December 6, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2010.
  4. ^Beitzel, Ben (November 27, 2009)."Camden County 35, North Gwinnett 0".Gwinnett Daily Post.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  5. ^"Jawuan James, 2010 Offensive Tackle, Tennessee".Rivals.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  6. ^abAbramson, Andrew (May 22, 2014)."Miami Dolphins hope they've won the lottery by drafting Ja'Wuan James".Palm Beach Post.RetrievedJanuary 11,2018.
  7. ^"Ja'Wuan James - Football".University of Tennessee Athletics.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  8. ^Wine, Steven (May 8, 2014)."Tennessee Vols' Ja'Wuan James drafted by Miami Dolphins".The Tennessean.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  9. ^"James, McCullers invited to Senior Bowl".Tennessee Volunteers Athletics.December 9, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  10. ^Ragan, Zach (January 21, 2014)."Ja'Wuan James To Miss Remainder Of Senior Bowl".AllForTennessee.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  11. ^"2014 NFL Combine Results: Offensive linemen".Scout.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  12. ^"Vols hold NFL Pro Day".Tennessee Volunteers Athletics.April 2, 2014.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  13. ^"Ja'Wuan James, DS #6 OT, Tennessee".nfldraftscout.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  14. ^Mayock, Mike (June 6, 2014)."2014 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock's top 100 prospects".NFL.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  15. ^"Top 100 Prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft".SI.com.May 1, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  16. ^"NFL Draft Profile: Ja'Wuan James".NFL.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  17. ^"2014 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMay 15,2023.
  18. ^"Dolphins select offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James with No. 19 pick".NBC Sports.May 8, 2014.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  19. ^Brown, Patrick (May 9, 2014)."Vols tackle James 19th pick of draft".Chattanooga Times Free Press.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  20. ^Katzowitz, Josh (June 19, 2014)."Dolphins agree to four-year rookie deal with T Ja'Wuan James".CBSSports.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  21. ^Poupart, Alain (September 2, 2014)."Dolphins Release Initial 2014 Regular Season Depth Chart".MiamiDolphins.com.Archived fromthe originalon January 13, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  22. ^Walker, James (September 9, 2014)."Ja'Wuan James grades well in first start".ESPN.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  23. ^Jackson, Barry (October 1, 2014)."Miami Dolphins rookies – led by Ja'Wuan James and Jarvis Landry – already making impact".MiamiHerald.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  24. ^Mello, Igor (June 4, 2014)."Dolphins LT Branden Albert carted off with knee injury".CBSsports.com.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  25. ^"Ja'Wuan James 2014 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  26. ^"2014 NFL All-Rookie Team".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
  27. ^Nogle, Kevin (September 5, 2015)."Dolphins depth chart 2015: Projecting the Miami depth chart after final roster cuts".The Phinsider.RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  28. ^Abramson, Andrew (October 30, 2015)."Dolphins' Ja'Wuan James injures toe against Patriots".The Palm Beach Post.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  29. ^"Ja'Wuan James 2015 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  30. ^"Ja'Wuan James 2016 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  31. ^"2016 Miami Dolphins Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  32. ^"Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 8th, 2017".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  33. ^Walker, James (May 1, 2017)."Dolphins picking up OL Ja'Wuan James' fifth-year option".ESPN.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  34. ^"Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves".MiamiDolphins.com.November 11, 2017. Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2017.
  35. ^"Ja'Wuan James 2017 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  36. ^"Ja'Wuan James 2018 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  37. ^Gordon, Grant (March 11, 2019)."RT Ja'Wuan James to sign big $51M deal with Broncos".NFL.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  38. ^DiLalla, Aric (March 13, 2019)."Broncos agree to terms with T Ja'Wuan James".DenverBroncos.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  39. ^DiLalla, Aric (August 3, 2020)."RT Ja'Wuan James informs Broncos he is opting out of 2020 season".DenverBroncos.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  40. ^"Broncos' Ja'Wuan James to miss 2021 season with torn Achilles".NBC Sports.May 4, 2021.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  41. ^Stapleton, Arnie (May 7, 2021)."Broncos place Ja'Wuan James on non-football injury list".APNews.com.RetrievedMay 19,2021.
  42. ^O'Halloran, Ryan (May 14, 2021)."Broncos briefs: Denver releases injured right tackle Ja'Wuan James".DenverPost.com.RetrievedMay 19,2021.
  43. ^Legwold, Jeff; Hensley, Jamison; Graziano, Dan (June 7, 2021)."James to join Ravens, files grievance vs. Broncos".ESPN.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  44. ^Mink, Ryan (June 10, 2021)."Ravens Officially Sign Offensive Tackle Ja'Wuan James".BaltimoreRavens.com.RetrievedJune 16,2021.
  45. ^Stapleton, Arnie (August 31, 2021)."Ravens place Ja'Wuan James on non-football injury list".APNews.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  46. ^Brown, Clifton (December 8, 2021)."Right Tackle Ja'Wuan James Returns to Practice".BaltimoreRavens.com.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
  47. ^Brown, Clifton (September 11, 2022)."Ja'Wuan James Carted Off With Ankle Injury".BaltimoreRavens.com.RetrievedSeptember 11,2022.
  48. ^Hensley, Jamison (September 11, 2022)."Baltimore Ravens LT Ja'Wuan James tears Achilles for second straight season".ESPN.com.RetrievedSeptember 11,2022.
  49. ^Sobus, Robert (September 14, 2022)."Ravens officially make four roster moves on Wednesday".USAToday.com.RetrievedSeptember 16,2022.
  50. ^Ragan, Zach (July 13, 2017)."Tennessee Vols: VFL Gets Engaged To College Sweetheart".Tenn Truth.RetrievedMarch 8,2024.
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