Sheldon Day (born July 1, 1994) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

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 Notre Dame and was drafted by 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 pla ...

in the fourth round of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...

. He has also played for 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 ...

, Indianapolis Colts, and

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 ...

Early years

Day attended Warren Central High School in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. Considered a four-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', he was rated as the 18th best defensive tackle prospect of his class. On August 4, 2011, he committed to play college football at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

College career

As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2012, Day appeared in all 13 games and had 23 tackles and two sacks. As a sophomore, he played in 11 games and made eight starts. He recorded 33 tackles and a half sack. As an 11-game starter his junior year, Day had 40 tackles and one sack. Following the end of the season, Sheldon Day announced that he would return for his senior season, forgoing the 2015 NFL Draft. In his senior season, starting all 13 games, Day set a career high in tackles (45), tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (4), earning himself second-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honors by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Day was drafted by the

in the fourth round (103rd overall) of the

. Day played only 126 snaps during his one and a half seasons for the Jaguars. On November 18, 2017, Day was waived by the Jaguars.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 20, 2017, Day was claimed off waivers by the

. Familiar to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Day was immediately a part of the defensive line rotation. He served as a reserve and played in six games, netting 12 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, and a sack. Day reached

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

with the 49ers, but lost 31-20 to 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 ...

Indianapolis Colts

On March 26, 2020, Day signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. He was placed on injured reserve on September 6, 2020. He was designated to return from injured reserve on September 30, and began practicing with the team again. He was activated on October 17. He was waived by the Colts on November 17, 2020.

Cleveland Browns

On December 30, 2020, Day was signed to the

' practice squad. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 25, 2021. Day re-signed with the Browns on April 14, 2021. The Browns terminated Day's contract on August 31, 2021. Day was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on September 1, 2021. Day was elevated to the Browns' active roster on October 16, 2021, and reverted back to the practice squad on October 18, 2021. Day was signed to the Browns' active roster on November 9, 2021. On April 18, 2022, Day re-signed with the Browns. The Browns terminated Day's contract on August 16, 2022.

Minnesota Vikings

On December 14, 2022, Day was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on January 7, 2023. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the team on January 30, 2023.

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Sheldon Living people 1994 births Players of American football from Indianapolis American football defensive tackles Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Jacksonville Jaguars players San Francisco 49ers players Indianapolis Colts players Cleveland Browns players Minnesota Vikings players