Thomas R. Sweeney (born July 1, 1995) is an American professional football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Tommy Sweeney
No. 87 – Chicago Bears
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1995-07-01) July 1, 1995 (age 29)
Ramsey, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Don Bosco Prep
(Ramsey, New Jersey)
College:Boston College (2014–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 7 / pick: 228
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:18
Receiving yards:165
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Sweeney grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School.[1] He caught 27 passes for 539 yards and five touchdowns in his senior season.[2]

College career

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Sweeney played five seasons for the Boston College Eagles, redshirting his freshman season. As a redshirt junior, he led the team with 36 receptions, 512 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions and was named third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[3] He capped off the season with seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown against Iowa in the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl. In his final season with the Eagles, Sweeney had 32 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns and was named first-team All-ACC.[4] Sweeney finished his collegiate career with 99 receptions for 1,281 yards and 10 touchdowns in 38 career games.[5]

Professional career

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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 4 12 in
(1.94 m)
251 lb
(114 kg)
32 34 in
(0.83 m)
9 34 in
(0.25 m)
4.83 s 1.59 s 2.82 s 4.31 s 7.17 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)
9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
17 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][7]

Buffalo Bills

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Sweeney was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round (228th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[8] He signed a rookie contract with the team on May 9, 2019.[9]

Sweeney made his NFL debut in the on September 8, 2019, in the Bills season opener, catching two passes for 35 yards in a 17–16 win over the New York Jets.[10] Sweeney caught eight passes for 114 yards in six games played as a rookie.[11]

Sweeney was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) by the Bills due to a foot injury on July 28, 2020.[12] He was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season on September 5, 2020.[13] He was moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on October 24, 2020,[14] and was activated back to the PUP list on November 11.[15] However, he developed myocarditis as a result of the virus and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[16] He was placed back on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 23, 2020.[17] In April 2021, Bills general manager Brandon Beane announced that Sweeney should be ready for the 2021 season.[18] Sweeney returned to the field in June 2021, when it was revelated that at one point in time, it was unknown if he'd be able to play again.[19]

On October 18, 2021, Sweeney caught his first career touchdown in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.[20]

New York Giants

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On March 23, 2023, Sweeney signed with the New York Giants.[21] On August 23, Sweeney collapsed on the practice field as the result of a 'medical event.' He was placed on reserve/non-football injury list six days later, and did not play for the Giants in 2023.[22] Sweeney was released by New York on November 28.

Chicago Bears

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On May 13, 2024, Sweeney signed with the Chicago Bears.[23] He was released on August 24, and re-signed to the practice squad on October 9.[24]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Y/R Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 BUF 6 1 8 114 14.3 29 0 0 0
2020 BUF Did not play due to injury
2021 BUF 13 3 9 44 4.9 13 1 1 0
2022 BUF 5 0 1 7 7.0 7 0 0 0
Career 24 4 18 165 9.2 29 1 1 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Y/R Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 BUF Did not play
2020 BUF Did not play due to injury
2021 BUF Did not play
2022 BUF
Career

References

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  1. ^ Caliguri, Peter (April 25, 2019). "2019 NFL Draft Profiles: Tommy Sweeney". BCInterruption.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "Tight end Tommy Sweeney plays key role in offense for Boston College". Boston Herald. December 25, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Patsko, Scott (March 2, 2019). "Tommy Sweeney: Why the Browns should draft the Boston College tight end". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Shurski, Jay (April 27, 2019). "Bills close out draft with selection of tight end Tommy Sweeney". The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "Bills take tight end Tommy Sweeney with final pick of NFL Draft". ESPNRochester.Radio.com. April 29, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Tommy Sweeney Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Tommy Sweeney College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Maiorana, Sal (April 27, 2019). "Tommy Sweeney: 3 things to know about Buffalo Bills 7th round pick from Boston College". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
  9. ^ "Bills complete contracts with seven draft picks". The Citizen. Associated Press. May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  10. ^ Kramer, Derek (September 8, 2019). "Bills come back with 17 unanswered points to beat the Jets, 17-16". WGR550.Radio.com.
  11. ^ Murphy, Sean (January 29, 2020). "State of the Buffalo Bills' roster: Tight ends". BuffaloRumblings.com. SB Nation. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Glab, Maddy (July 28, 2020). "Star Lotulelei opts out of the 2020 season; Tommy Sweeney placed on PUP list". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Brown, Chris (September 5, 2020). "Bills announce these moves to get to the 53-man roster limit". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  14. ^ "Bills place four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list; four players elevated from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. October 24, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bills' Tommy Sweeney: Back with team". CBSSports.com. November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  16. ^ Smith, Michael (November 23, 2020). "Bills' Tommy Sweeney out for the season with myocarditis stemming from COVID-19". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  17. ^ McCoy, James P. (November 23, 2020). "Bills' Tommy Sweeney out for season with myocarditis stemming from Covid-19". BuffaloNes.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Bills' Tommy Sweeney: Expected to be ready for 2021". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  19. ^ Wojton, Nick (June 10, 2021). "Bills' Tommy Sweeney back on field after serious myocarditis, COVID scare". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "Tommy Sweeney: Don Bosco football alum scores first NFL touchdown". Bergen Record. October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Salomone, Dan (March 23, 2023). "Giants add more tight end depth with Tommy Sweeney". Giants.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 29, 2023). "Giants announce 53-man roster for 2023". Giants.com.
  23. ^ Mayer, Larry (May 13, 2024). "Roster Moves: Bears sign six free agents". ChicagoBears.com.
  24. ^ Alper, Josh (August 24, 2024). "Bears cut TE Tommy Sweeney, DL Keith Randolph". Pro Football Talk.
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