Deante Wayne Burton (born July 12, 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who is a free agent. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He played college football at Kansas State University.

Early years

Burton attended

Manhattan High School Manhattan High School is a public high school in Manhattan, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Manhattan–Ogden USD 383. For the 2013–2014 school year, Manhattan High had an enrollment of 1,920 students. ...

, where he was a two-way player at wide receiver and

. As a junior, he became a starter at both positions, tallying 244 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. As a senior, he broke one of his thumbs, but still managed to keep playing. He collected 20 receptions for 327 yards, 5 receiving touchdowns, 216 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also received first-team All-Centennial League and All-state honors for his production at defensive back.

College career

Burton accepted a football scholarship from Kansas State University. As a sophomore, he was named a starter at wide receiver during the season, posting 17 receptions for 171 yards. As a junior, he tallied 38 receptions for 510 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

, he had 5 catches for 135 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown, while earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. As a senior, he registered 29 receptions for 404 yards and one touchdown. He finished his college career with 84 receptions for 1,085 yards and 5 touchdowns, becoming the school’s 29th career 1,000-yard receiver.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Burton was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Atlanta Falcons after the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

on May 1. He was waived by the Falcons on September 2, but was signed to their practice squad the next day, where he was converted into a

. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on January 15, 2018. On September 1, he was released by the Falcons and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 4. He played in the season opener against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

and had one

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackle. He was waived on September 10, 2018.

Green Bay Packers

On September 11, 2018, Burton was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. He was declared inactive for the second game against 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 ...

. He was waived on September 19.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On September 25, 2018, Burton was signed to the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad.

Houston Texans

On October 31, 2018, Burton was signed by the Houston Texans off the Falcons practice squad, to provide depth because of injuries. He appeared in 2 games as a backup. He was waived on August 26, 2019.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 24, 2019, Burton was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 20, 2019, Burton was signed by the

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 divi ...

from the Colts practice squad, after cornerback Anthony Brown was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. He appeared in 3 games as a backup. On September 5, 2020, Burton was waived by the Cowboys and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 26 and November 26 for the team's weeks 3 and 12 games against the Seattle Seahawks and

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was signed to the active roster on December 7, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2020. On August 31, 2021, Burton was waived by the Cowboys and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on December 15.

Tennessee Titans

On August 13, 2022, Burton 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 hom ...

, but was waived three days later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Deante 1994 births Living people Players of American football from Kansas Sportspeople from Manhattan, Kansas American football wide receivers Kansas State Wildcats football players Atlanta Falcons players Green Bay Packers players Houston Texans players Indianapolis Colts players Dallas Cowboys players Tennessee Titans players American sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent