Orson Charles (born January 27, 1991) is a former
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 ...
and
fullback. He played
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 ...
at
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
High school career
Charles attended Riverview High School before transferring to
Henry B. Plant High School
H.B. Plant High School is a public high school located in the neighborhood of South Tampa in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1927 between South Himes Avenue on the east and Dale Mabry Highway on the west. The school is named in honor ...
in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
for his senior year, where he was a teammate of
Aaron Murray. During a recruiting visit to the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 2008, Charles accidentally dropped the school's 2006 National Championship Trophy, breaking the
Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or "crystal", especially in cut glass, named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was closed due to the ...
football. He played in the 2009
U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
College career
Charles was named a finalist for the 2011
John Mackey Award
The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, a ...
on November 21, 2011.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
Charles was drafted by the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in the fourth round, 116th overall, of the
2012 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he played all 16 games, starting 6 of them, accumulating 8 receptions for 101 yards. In 2013 Charles played primarily at fullback; He played 13 games but started none and recorded one catch for eight yards.
New Orleans Saints
On September 23, 2014, Charles was signed to 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 ...
practice squad.
Detroit Lions
On June 16, 2016, Charles was signed by 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 ...
.
He was released on October 4, 2016.
Kansas City Chiefs
On May 31, 2017, Charles signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
. He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad the next day. He was released on October 7, 2017. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 25, 2017. He was promoted to the active roster on November 28, 2017. He was waived by the Chiefs on May 3, 2018.
Cleveland Browns
On July 30, 2018, Charles 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 ( ...
. He made the Browns final roster as the team's fourth tight end. Despite being listed as a tight end, Charles had lined up primarily as a fullback throughout the 2018 season. He appeared on the 2018 Pro Bowl ballot as a fullback, and Browns coaches have signaled they view him as such. The Browns placed Charles on injured reserve with an ankle injury on December 13, 2018.
On April 3, 2019, Charles re-signed with the Browns. The Browns waived Charles on August 11, 2019.
Denver Broncos
On August 21, 2019, Charles signed with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. He was released on August 31, 2019. He was re-signed on November 19, 2019, but was released three days later.
Charles was drafted in the 6th round of the 2020 XFL Draft by the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
, but did not sign with the team.
Legal troubles
Shortly before the 2012 NFL Draft, Charles was arrested for a DUI.
On March 31, 2014, Charles was arrested for wanton endangerment in
Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is home to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2019, the population was 36,157. Richmond is the fourth-la ...
. Charles was pulled over by a police officer after another driver called in a complaint that Charles had shown a gun multiple times.
In February 2015 Charles pleaded guilty to wanton endangerment and will enter a
diversion program
A diversion program, also known as a pretrial diversion program or pretrial intervention program, in the criminal justice system is a form of pretrial sentencing that helps remedy behavior leading to the arrest. Administered by the judicial or ...
.
On July 16, 2022, Charles was arrested for pulling a gun on off-duty police officers in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
.
References
External links
Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Orson
1991 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tampa, Florida
American football tight ends
Georgia Bulldogs football players
Cincinnati Bengals players
New Orleans Saints players
Detroit Lions players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Cleveland Browns players
Denver Broncos players