Darren Andre Fells (born April 22, 1986) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

who is a free agent. He did not play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

, instead playing

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

. Prior to his NFL career, he played professional basketball in several countries and was then signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. He has also played for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, and is the brother of former NFL tight end

Daniel Fells Daniel Fells (born September 23, 1983) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at UC Davis and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Fells was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, D ...

Early years

Fells attended

Fullerton Union High School Fullerton Union High School is a public high school located in the Orange County, California city of Fullerton, operated by the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. History In 1893 a special election was held to create Fullerton Union High ...

in Fullerton, California, where he played basketball. He was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section II-A second team as a junior while averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds as the team's center. He was named All-Freeway League second team also in his junior season.

Professional basketball career

Between 2008 and 2012, Fells played basketball professionally in Argentina, Mexico, Belgium, Finland, and France. As a rookie on the

Basketball League Belgium Division I The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. Through 2014, for sponsorship reasons, the league was previousl ...

team

Leuven Bears Leuven Bears, for sponsorship reasons also called Stella Artois Leuven Bears, is a Belgian professional basketball club from Leuven. The club competes in the BNXT League, the highest tier in Belgian basketball. History The team has played in the ...

in 2008–09, Fells wore jersey #14 and averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 33 games. In his second season with the team in 2009–10, Fells averaged 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. In the 2010–11 season, Fells played for

Kataja Basket Club Kataja Basket Club is a professional basketball club of sports club Kataja from Joensuu, Finland. The team plays in the Korisliiga, the highest tier of Finnish basketball. In 2015, Kataja won its first national championship, after it beat Bisons ...

of the Finnish

Korisliiga The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In its current format, each team plays all other teams two times in the regular season, once at home and once away, for a total o ...

, wearing jersey #7. In 55 games, Fells averaged 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Kataja were runners-up of the 2011 Korisliiga Finals. A Étendard de Brest of French

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season ...

, Fells played 25 games for

Soles de Mexicali The Soles de Mexicali (English: ''Mexicali Suns'') is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, playing in the Northern Division of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). The team was founde ...

of the Mexican

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...

in the 2011–12 season and wore jersey #12. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. After the LNBP season ended, Fells played nine games for

Obras Sanitarias Club Atlético Obras Sanitarias de la Nación (mostly known simply as Obras Sanitarias or Obras) is an Argentine professional sports club that is located in the district of Núñez, Buenos Aires. Although originally conceived as a rugby union cl ...

of the Argentine Liga Nacional de Basquet from March to April 2012 and averaged 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds. Like at Soles de Mexicali, Fells wore jersey #12 for Obras. In December 2012, Fells signed with

Libertad de Sunchales Club Deportivo Libertad (usually called simply Libertad or Libertad de Sunchales) is a sports club from Argentina, with homebase in the Sunchales city of Santa Fe Province. The club is better known for both its association football and basketba ...

but did not play any games.

Professional football career

Seattle Seahawks

On March 6, 2013, Fells was signed by the

. On May 18, 2013, he was waived by the team. On May 20, 2013, he was re-signed with the team. On August 31, 2013, Fells was released by the team.

Arizona Cardinals

On October 9, 2013, Fells signed with the

practice squad. On January 1, 2014, he was re-signed to a reserve/future contract with the

2014 season

Fells entered Cardinals' training camp competing with John Carlson,

Troy Niklas Troy Niklas (born September 18, 1992) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. High school Niklas attended Servite ...

, and

Jake Ballard Jacob Owen Ballard (born December 2, 1987) is a former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at Ohio State and was sig ...

to be a backup tight end. He was named the fifth tight end on the Cardinals' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind

Rob Housler Robert Gregory Housler Jr. (born March 17, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Florida Atlantic and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He has also played fo ...

, John Carlson, Troy Niklas, and Jake Ballard. During Week 3, he made his first NFL start as the Cardinals defeated the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

by a score of 23–14. On December 11, 2014, Fells made his first NFL reception on a six-yard pass from

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...

during a 12–6 victory over the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

. During the regular-season finale, he caught a 24-yard pass for his longest catch of the season and finished the 17–20 loss to the 49ers with two receptions for 39 receiving yards. Fells completed his rookie season with five receptions for 59 yards while playing ten games and starting in five. On January 3, 2015, Fells appeared in his first NFL postseason game after the Cardinals finished the season with an 11–5 record. In the 16–27

NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...

Wildcard loss to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

, he caught a one-yard touchdown.

2015 season

Fells started the 2015 season as the second tight end behind

Jermaine Gresham Jermaine Gresham (born June 16, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he received All-American honors. Hi ...

. During the

' home opener against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, he caught his first NFL touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Carson Palmer. He finished the 31–19 victory with four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. On October 18, 2015, he left a 25–13 loss to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

after suffering a shoulder sprain that would keep him out the next two games. Fells finished the 2015 season with a career-high 21 receptions for 311 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games and 12 starts. In the postseason, Fells caught four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.

2016 season

Fells remained the Cardinals' second tight end behind Gresham in 2016. During Week 2 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, he caught a career-high four passes for 31 yards in a 40–7 victory. On January 1, 2017, he caught a 37-yard touchdown from Carson Palmer as the Cardinals defeated the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

by a score 44–7. Fells finished the 2016 season with 14 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown in 14 games and seven starts.

Detroit Lions

On March 11, 2017, Fells signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. Fells entered training camp competing with

Cole Wick Cole Wick (born November 30, 1993) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of the Incarnate Word. Early years Wick is from Hallettsville, Texas. He played high school football at Sacre ...

Khari Lee Khari Lee (born January 16, 1992) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Bowie State. Professional career Houston Texans Lee was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2015. ...

, and Michael Roberts to be the backup tight end. He was named the backup behind Eric Ebron to begin the regular season. Ebron struggled with drops in the first half of the season, and Fells saw increased snaps and eventually started in place of him. Fells finished the 2017 season with 17 receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts.

Cleveland Browns

On March 15, 2018, Fells signed a three-year contract with the

. He played in 16 games with 11 starts, recording 11 receptions for 117 yards and three touchdowns. On March 11, 2019, Fells was released by the Browns.

Houston Texans

On March 18, 2019, Fells signed a one-year contract with the

. In Week 13 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Fells set the single-season record for most touchdown receptions by a tight end in Texans' history, a record previously held by

Owen Daniels Owen Daniels (born November 9, 1982) is an American meteorologist and former American football tight end. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Dra ...

and Joel Dreessen. Fells finished the regular season with 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns, all career bests. On March 10, 2020, Fells was re-signed to a two-year, $7 million contract by the Texans. In Week 5 of the 2020 season against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

, Fells recorded a 44 yard touchdown reception during the 30–14 win. This was the Texans' longest play from scrimmage during the first five weeks of the season. On March 18, 2021, Fells was released by the Texans.

Detroit Lions (second stint)

Fells signed with the

on May 5, 2021. On November 8, Fells requested and was granted his release from the team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On November 10, 2021, the

signed Fells to their practice squad.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Houston Texans bioSeattle Seahawks bioArizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fells, Darren 1986 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Finland American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American football tight ends Arizona Cardinals players Basketball players from California Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players Houston Texans players Kataja BC players Leuven Bears players Obras Sanitarias basketball players Players of American football from California Seattle Seahawks players Soles de Mexicali players Sportspeople from Fullerton, California Tampa Bay Buccaneers players UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball players American men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Power forwards (basketball)