Josh Ferguson (born May 23, 1993) is an American former professional football running back. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
 Ferguson with the Indianapolis Colts in 2016 | |||||||||||||
| No. 34, 39, 36 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 23, 1993 Naperville, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Joliet Catholic (Joliet, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Early life
editFerguson attended Joliet Catholic Academy, where he rushed for 1,868 yards and 25 touchdowns.[1] A 3-star running back recruit, Ferguson committed to Illinois to play college football over offers from Air Force, Ball State, East Carolina, Memphis, North Dakota State, Ohio, and Toledo.[2]
College career
editFerguson debuted as a true freshman in 2011, playing in the first three games of the season, but he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in week 3 and was approved for a medical hardship waiver, allowing him to redshirt. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Ferguson played in 10 games, starting six. He ran 75 times for 312 yards, recorded 29 receptions for 251 yards, and returned 19 kicks for 344 yards. In 2013, as a redshirt sophomore, he ran 141 times for 779 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught 50 passes for 535 yards and four touchdowns. Ferguson played in all 13 games in 2014, starting nine, leading the team in rushing with 735 yards and eight touchdowns, and recorded 50 receptions for 427 yards and two touchdowns.[3]
As a redshirt senior in 2015, Ferguson missed three games due to a shoulder injury, starting the team’s remaining nine games, recording 129 carries for 708 yards and three touchdowns, along with 37 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Ferguson was voted Third-team All-Big Ten for his 2015 season.[4][5]
Overall, in 47 career games, Ferguson ran for 2,586 yards and 18 touchdowns, and recorded 168 receptions for 1,507 yards and eight touchdowns. He graduated with a degree in kinesiology.[6] [1]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
198 lb (90 kg) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.48 s | 341⁄2 | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
21 reps | ||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
Indianapolis Colts
editAfter appearing in the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Ferguson was not selected in the 2016 NFL draft. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2016.[8] Despite going undrafted, Ferguson made the final 53-man roster for the 2016 Colts. [9] As a rookie, Ferguson played in all 16 games, recording 15 carries for 20 yards and 20 receptions for 136 yards. He also played on special teams, returning four kicks for 80 yards, one punt for no yards, and made two special teams tackles.[10]
On September 2, 2017, Ferguson was waived with an injury designation by the Colts and was placed on injured reserve.[11] He was released on September 8, 2017. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 17, 2017.[12] He was promoted to the active roster on October 20, 2017.[13] In the 2017 season, Ferguson appeared in 10 games, rushing once for five yards, catching three passes for 16 yards, and returning five kicks for 86 yards.[14]
On August 22, 2018, Ferguson was waived with an injury designation by the Colts, and after clearing waivers, he was placed on injured reserve.[15] He was released on September 18, 2018.
Houston Texans
editOn October 16, 2018, Ferguson was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad, but was released a week later.[16][17]
New England Patriots
editOn November 7, 2018, Ferguson was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad, but was released two days later.[18][19]
Houston Texans (second stint)
editOn November 12, 2018, Ferguson was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans on January 7, 2019.[21] On August 30, 2019, Ferguson was released.[22]
Washington Redskins / Football Team
editOn October 16, 2019, Ferguson was signed to the Washington Redskins practice squad.[23] He was promoted to the active roster on December 10, 2019, before being released on August 3, 2020.[24][25]
NFL career statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | IND | 16 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 1.3 | 11 | 0 | 20 | 136 | 6.8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | IND | 10 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | WAS | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 0 | 19 | 34 | 1.8 | 11 | 0 | 23 | 152 | 6.6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Illinois Athletics - Josh Ferguson". fightingillini.com. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/josh-ferguson-27500?view=pv
- ^ https://fightingillini.com/sports/football/roster/josh-ferguson/2167
- ^ https://btn.com/2015/12/01/view-2015-all-big-ten-offensive-team-individual-award-winners/
- ^ https://www.nfl.com/prospects/josh-ferguson/32004645-5220-1072-f1b2-93256fd73752
- ^ https://fightingillini.com/sports/football/roster/josh-ferguson/2167
- ^ "Josh Ferguson Draft Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Wilson, Josh (May 2, 2016). "Colts officially sign 21 undrafted free agents". stampedeblue.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ https://www.colts.com/news/colts-make-final-cuts-assemble-53-man-roster-17618222
- ^ https://www.colts.com/news/2016-colts-rookie-watch-final-edition-18395110
- ^ Walker, Andrew (September 2, 2017). "Colts Announce Final 2017 Roster Cuts". Colts.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.
- ^ "Roster Move: Colts Bring Back RB Josh Ferguson To Practice Squad". Colts.com. October 17, 2017. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017.
- ^ "Colts Place Robert Turbin On IR; Sign Josh Ferguson To Active Roster". Colts.com. October 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
- ^ https://www.colts.com/news/roster-moves-colts-re-sign-rb-tion-green-waive-injured-josh-ferguson
- ^ "Roster Moves: Colts Re-Sign RB Tion Green; Waive-Injured Josh Ferguson". Colts.com. August 22, 2018.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (October 16, 2018). "Texans sign RB Josh Ferguson, cut DB Robert Jackson from practice squad". HoustonChronicle.com.
- ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans signed Daeshon Hall to practice squad". HoustonTexans.com. October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Patriots Sign OL Matt Tobin to the 53-Man Roster; Sign RB Josh Ferguson to the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Patriots Sign WR Damoun Patterson to the Practice Squad; Release RB Josh Ferguson from the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. November 9, 2018.
- ^ "TRANSACTION: Texans sign RB Josh Ferguson to the practice squad". HoustonTexans.com. November 12, 2018.
- ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans sign eight players to reserve/future contracts". HoustonTexans.com. January 7, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "Texans roster cuts: Bryan Anger, Javier Edwards, Josh Ferguson". HoustonChronicle.com. August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Redskins Sign RB Josh Ferguson To Practice Squad". Redskins.com. October 16, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "Redskins Make Several Roster Moves". Redskins.com. December 10, 2019.
- ^ Hailey, Peter. "Washington Linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons Is Opting Out of the 2020 NFL Season". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved August 3, 2020.