James Russell Dray (born December 31, 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 wi ...
coach and former
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. Lik ...
who is currently the tight ends coach for the
Chicago Bears of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Stanford and was drafted by the
Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the
2010 NFL Draft. He also played for the
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 (A ...
,
Buffalo Bills, and
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 ...
.
Early years
Born in
New Milford, New Jersey
New Milford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,341,[Paramus
Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...]
and played high school football at
Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...
.
Playing career
Arizona Cardinals
On July 8, 2010, the Cardinals signed Dray to a four-year contract. The team did not announce the terms of the deal, but Adam Caplan of
Foxsports.com reported that the contract was worth $1.84 million with a $49,000 signing bonus.
Cleveland Browns
On March 13, 2014, he signed with the
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 (A ...
. Dray's first season with the Browns ended with 17 receptions, for 242 yards, and 1 touchdown on 28 targets.
In Dray's 2015 season, he had 6 receptions for 61 yards.
On February 18, 2016, Dray was released.
Buffalo Bills
Dray signed with the
Buffalo Bills on March 16, 2016. He was released on October 4, 2016.
San Francisco 49ers
Dray signed with 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 ...
on December 19, 2016.
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
On September 15, 2017, Dray signed with the Cardinals, but was released four days later.
Coaching career
Stanford
Following his playing career, Dray started his coaching career at his alma mater Stanford as an offensive assistant.
Cleveland Browns
In 2019, Dray was hired by the
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 (A ...
as an offensive quality control coach.
Arizona Cardinals
After a year with the Browns, Dray went to the Cardinals at the same position.
Chicago Bears
Dray was hired as the tight ends coach under new Bears head coach
Matt Eberflus
Matthew Charles Eberflus (born May 17, 1970) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 201 ...
and new offensive coordinator
Luke Getsy on February 6, 2022.
References
External links
Cleveland Browns bioArizona Cardinals bioStanford Cardinal bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dray, Jim
1986 births
Living people
American football tight ends
Arizona Cardinals players
Bergen Catholic High School alumni
Buffalo Bills players
Cleveland Browns players
San Francisco 49ers players
People from New Milford, New Jersey
People from Paramus, New Jersey
Players of American football from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey
Stanford Cardinal football players
Chicago Bears coaches