Stefan Charles (born June 9, 1988) is a professional
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
for the
Edmonton Elks
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL). He played
CIS football
U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...
with the
Regina Rams.
College career
Charles played three seasons of
CIS football
U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...
with the
Regina Rams. In 22 career games at Regina, he posted 19.5 tackles for losses, 9.5 sacks and 50 tackles. An injury to his hand caused him to miss much of his 4th season with the Rams. Prior to joining the Regina Rams, he was a member of the Metro Toronto Wildcats of the OVFL.
Professional career
CFL Draft
Charles was ranked No. 1 overall in the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau's September rankings heading into the
2013 CFL Draft
The 2013 CFL season, 2013 CFL Draft took place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET on The Sports Network, TSN. 60 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Canadian Universities across the country, as w ...
. He fell to 4th place in the December rankings. Following the
2012 CIS season, Charles was invited to the
2013 CFL Evaluation Camp in late-March 2013. After a successful CFL Combine, Charles climbed to become the 2nd ranked Canadian football prospect heading into the 2013 Draft. Charles was drafted by the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 CFL Draft.
NFL Draft
Prior to the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
Charles gained interest from the following teams;
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 ...
,
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, and
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He also participated in the
regional NFL Combine in Dallas, in April 2013. Despite the interest, Charles was not drafted by any team in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.
Tennessee Titans
Following the draft, Charles signed with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on May 9, 2013. He was waived on August 31, 2013, and was signed to the practice squad.
Buffalo Bills
On October 30, 2013, Charles was signed by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
off the Titans' practice squad.
During the
2015 season, he appeared in 13 games (one start) for the Bills, racking up 13 total tackles (nine solo), one sack and one forced fumble.
Detroit Lions
On March 11, 2016, 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 ...
signed Charles to a one-year contract. He was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2016.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On March 11, 2017, Charles signed with 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 ...
. He was released on September 3, 2017.
Kansas City Chiefs
On January 3, 2018, Charles signed a one-year contract 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 re-signed on March 19, 2018. He was released on May 8, 2018, but was re-signed two days later. He was released again on September 1, 2018.
San Antonio Commanders (AAF)
On February 19, 2019, Charles signed with the
San Antonio Commanders
The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football franchise based in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home g ...
of the
AAF
AAF may refer to:
Aviation
* Aigle Azur (ICAO code), a French airline
* Apalachicola Regional Airport (IATA code), in Apalachicola, Florida
Corporations
* American Air Filter, today a part of HVAC-equipment-maker Daikin
Military
* Albanian Arm ...
. He was waived on March 12, 2019.
Atlanta Falcons
On August 24, 2019, Charles was signed by the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He was released on August 31, 2019.
Edmonton Eskimos
On September 16, 2019, Charles signed with the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL). The Eskimos had retained his playing rights after drafting him in the
2013 CFL Draft
The 2013 CFL season, 2013 CFL Draft took place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET on The Sports Network, TSN. 60 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Canadian Universities across the country, as w ...
. He was placed on the practice roster for the duration of the regular season until he was moved to reserve roster for the East Semi-Final.
He was then placed on the injured list for the team's East Final loss to the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
and did not dress for a game in 2019.
[ He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the ]2020 CFL season
The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League.
It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...
.
Ottawa Redblacks
On February 9, 2021, Charles signed with the Ottawa Redblacks
The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Startin ...
.
Edmonton Elks
Charles returned to the Edmonton Elks
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
in free agency on February 9, 2022.
References
External links
Ottawa Redblacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Stefan
1988 births
Living people
American football defensive tackles
Atlanta Falcons players
Black Canadian players of American football
Buffalo Bills players
Canadian football defensive linemen
Detroit Lions players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Ottawa Redblacks players
Players of Canadian football from Ontario
Regina Rams players
Sportspeople from Oshawa
Tennessee Titans players
San Antonio Commanders players