Joshua Khiry Malone (born March 21, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) and the DC Defenders of the XFL.
Malone with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born: | Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. | March 21, 1996||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Station Camp | ||||||
College: | Tennessee | ||||||
Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2017 / Round: 4 / Pick: 128 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Early life
editMalone attended Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tennessee, where he played high school football for the Bison. He had a successful high school career at Station Camp. As a junior in 2012, he had 28 receptions for 408 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he had 15 rushes for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. He had numerous accomplishments during his senior season in 2013. He had 71 receptions for 1,404 yards and 19 receiving touchdowns and 23 rushes for 227 yards and three rushing touchdowns during his senior season.[1] His successful senior season warranted an invitation to play in the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Game.[2]
College career
editBefore the 2014 college football season, Malone committed to play for the University of Tennessee under head coach Butch Jones.[3]
In 2014, as a true freshman, Malone played in all 12 regular season games and the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa. He made his collegiate debut against Utah State on August 31 at Neyland Stadium. In his collegiate debut, he had two receptions for 26 yards.[4] Against Southeastern Conference (SEC) East rival Georgia on September 27, he had five receptions for 43 yards and a 20-yard rush in the loss at Sanford Stadium.[5] Against Ole Miss, he had a season-high 75 yards on five receptions at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.[6] He had his first career touchdown against Alabama in their annual rivalry game on October 25 at home.[7] In the 2014 season, Malone had 23 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown.[6]
In his sophomore season in 2015, Malone played in all 12 regular season games and the 2016 Outback Bowl against Northwestern. He started twelve games for the Volunteers. In the home opener, Malone had his first touchdown of the season in a 2OT loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.[8] On October 10, he led the Vols in catches in their upset 38–31 victory over #19 Georgia at Neyland Stadium.[9] He had his first career game with over 100 receiving yards at Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium. In the game, he had a career-long 75-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Joshua Dobbs.[10] He finished third on the team with 31 catches for 405 yards and two touchdowns.[11]
In his junior season in 2016, Malone appeared in all 12 regular season games and the bowl game.[12] He had a 67-yard receiving touchdown in the season opening 20–13 overtime victory against Appalachian State on September 1.[13] In the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol against Virginia Tech, he had two receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown.[14] Against the Ohio Bobcats the following week, he had five receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns.[15] He had four catches for 91 yards and a 42-yard touchdown in the 38–28 win against SEC East Rival Florida on September 24.[16] On November 5, against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, he had five receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns.[17] He had a career-high 121 receiving yards and one touchdown at Vanderbilt on November 26.[18] In his final game with the Volunteers, he had five receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown in the 2016 Music City Bowl victory over Nebraska on December 30.[19] In the 2016 season, he finished third in the SEC in receiving yards and touchdowns, with 972 and 11, respectively.[20]
After the 2016 season, Malone declared his intentions to enter the 2017 NFL draft.[21]
College statistics
editSeason | Team | GP | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
2014 | Tennessee | 13 | 23 | 231 | 10.0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 |
2015 | Tennessee | 13 | 31 | 405 | 13.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
2016 | Tennessee | 13 | 50 | 972 | 19.4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
Total | 39 | 104 | 1,608 | 15.5 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 |
Professional career
editPre-draft
editComing out of Tennessee, Malone was projected to be a third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 31, 2017, Malone participated at Tennessee's pro day, along with Joshua Dobbs, Alvin Kamara, Cameron Sutton, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Derek Barnett, Jason Croom, former Saint's wide receiver Robert Meachem, and 17 other prospects. Around 100 scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended, including Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, as Malone performed all of the combine and positional drills.[22] He was ranked the 12th best wide receiver prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[23]
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 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) |
208 lb (94 kg) |
31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.40 s | 1.56 s | 2.61 s | 4.19 s | 7.05 s | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
10 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[24] |
Cincinnati Bengals
editThe Cincinnati Bengals selected Malone in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[25] He was the 18th wide receiver and the fifth of six Tennessee Volunteers to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.[26] On May 17, 2017, the Bengals signed him to a four-year, $2.99 million contract with a signing bonus of $599,241.[27]
He joined a deep wide receiver group with the Bengals and competed with John Ross, Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd, and Cody Core throughout training camp for a job as the starting wide receiver. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Malone the fifth wide receiver on the Bengals' depth chart behind A. J. Green, Brandon LaFell, Cody Core, and Tyler Boyd.[28]
Although Malone was healthy, he was inactive for the first five games of the 2017 season. On October 22, 2017, he made his professional regular season debut during a 29–14 loss to the Steelers. The following week, Malone caught two receptions for 35-yards and scored his first career touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Andy Dalton during a 24–23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.[29]
On September 1, 2019, Malone was waived by the Bengals.[30]
New York Jets
editOn September 4, 2019, Malone was signed to the practice squad of the New York Jets. He was promoted to the active roster on December 19, 2019.[31]
On September 5, 2020, Malone was waived by the Jets and signed to the practice squad the next day.[32][33] He was elevated to the active roster on September 12 for the team's week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills and reverted to the practice squad on September 14.[34][35] He was again elevated to the active roster on September 19 for the team's week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers and reverted to the practice squad on September 21.[36][37] He was promoted to the active roster on September 22, 2020.[38] He was waived on October 10,[39] and re-signed to the practice squad three days later.[40] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 4, 2021.[41]
On August 24, 2021, Malone was waived by the Jets.[42]
Denver Broncos
editOn October 5, 2021, Malone was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad.[43] He was released on October 12.[44]
Green Bay Packers
editOn December 14, 2021, Malone was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad.[45] His contract expired when the teams season ended on January 22, 2022.
Tennessee Titans
editOn February 22, 2022, Malone signed with the Tennessee Titans.[46] He was released on August 16, 2022.[47]
Pittsburgh Steelers
editOn October 18, 2022, Malone signed with the Steelers practice-squad.[48] He was released on October 29, 2022.[49] He signed back with the practice squad on November 8, 2022, then released on November 29.[50]
DC Defenders
editOn February 3, 2023, Malone was signed by the DC Defenders of the XFL.[51][52] He was released on March 15, 2023.[53]
Personal life
editJosh is the son of Rebecca and Cordell Malone.[54]
References
edit- ^ "Josh Malone Gallatin, TN (Station Camp)". 247Sports. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Goldberg, Rob (January 3, 2014). "Army All-American Game Roster 2014: Sleepers to Watch in Recruiting Showcase". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Elliott, Bud (December 4, 2013). "Josh Malone commits to Tennessee: Vols land 4-star receiver recruit". SBNation. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Utah State at Tennessee Box Score, August 31, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee at Georgia Box Score, September 27, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "Josh Malone 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Alabama at Tennessee Box Score, October 25, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Oklahoma at Tennessee Box Score, September 12, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Georgia at Tennessee Box Score, October 10, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee at Kentucky Box Score, October 31, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "2015 Tennessee Volunteers Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Josh Malone 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Appalachian State at Tennessee Box Score, September 1, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee vs Virginia Tech Box Score, September 10, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Ohio at Tennessee Box Score, September 17, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Florida at Tennessee Box Score, September 24, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee Tech at Tennessee Box Score, November 5, 2016". Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee at Vanderbilt Box Score, November 26, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Music City Bowl - Nebraska vs Tennessee Box Score, December 30, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "2016 SEC College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Receiving". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Callahan, Ryan (January 3, 2017). "Tennessee WR leaving early for NFL draft". Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ Griffith, Mike. "Tennessee football pro day results: Butch Jones relishes outgoing players' growth, performance". seccountry.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "*Josh Malone, DS #12 WR, Tennessee". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Josh Malone". www.nfl.com.
- ^ Toback, Rebecca (April 29, 2017). "2017 NFL Draft results: Cincinnati Bengals pick Tennessee WR Josh Malone in Round 4, pick 128". CincyJungle.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ Potkey, Rhiannon (April 29, 2017). "NFL draft: Tennessee Vols' Josh Malone selected by Bengals in fourth round". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Spotrac.com: Josh Malone contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals: Depth chart". foxsports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals - October 29th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Bengals waive Josh Malone and Hardy Nickerson". CincyJungle.com. September 1, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Phillips, Gary (December 20, 2019). "Jets sign WR Josh Malone to active roster". Jets Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Randy (September 5, 2020). "Jets Move 27 to Get Their Roster to 53-Player Limit". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Randy (September 6, 2020). "15 Signed to Practice Squad; All Were in Jets Training Camp". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 12, 2020). "Jets Sign QB Mike White and Elevate RB Josh Adams and WR Josh Malone". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Gary (September 14, 2020). "Jets send Josh Adams, Josh Malone back to practice squad". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 19, 2020). "Jets Sign LB Alec Ogletree and Elevate RB Josh Adams and WR Josh Malone". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ @RichCimini (September 21, 2020). "RB Josh Adams and WR Josh Malone revert to the Jets' practice squad for the second time. This means they must pass through waivers the next time they go from the roster to the PS. #Jets" (Tweet). Retrieved October 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 22, 2020). "Jets Sign WR Josh Malone to Active Roster, Place CB Arthur Maulet on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (October 10, 2020). "Jets Activate RB Le'Veon Bell from IR, Sign OL Jimmy Murray to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Josh Malone: Sticks with Jets' practice squad". CBSSports.com. October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (January 4, 2021). "Jets Sign 9 Players to Reserve/Future Deals". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Lange, Randy (August 24, 2021). "Jets Place Vinny Curry on Reserve/NFI, Release 4 Players to Get to 80". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Broncos sign ILB Avery Williamson and WR Josh Malone to practice squad". DenverBroncos.com. October 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Lynch, Tim (October 12, 2021). "Broncos signing WR John Brown to practice squad". Mile High Report. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Packers sign WR Juwann Winfree to active roster". Packers.com. December 14, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (February 22, 2022). "Titans Agree to Terms with Receiver Josh Malone". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 16, 2022). "Titans Part Ways With Five Players, Including WR Josh Malone, RB Jordan Wilkins". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Josh Malone: Joins Pittsburgh's practice squad". CBSSports.com. October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (October 29, 2022). "Steelers sign Sciba to practice squad". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Josh Malone: Returns to team". CBSSports.com. November 8, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Miele, Angela (February 13, 2023). "DC Defenders Offense: Meet The Dynamic 2023 Players". Gridiron Heroics. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Mike (February 4, 2023). "D.C. Defenders Place K.D. Cannon On IR, Sign WR Josh Malone, DT Caraun Reid, And LS Brett DioGuardi". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Kokaliares, Christopher (May 15, 2023). "A look at how some former Bengals did in the XFL". StripeHype.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (October 18, 2022). "Steelers sign two to practice squad". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Yahoo! Sports · Pro Football Reference
- Tennessee Volunteers bio
- Media related to Josh Malone at Wikimedia Commons