Edward James Dickson (born July 25, 1987) 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 wi ...

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 ...

. He played college football at

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

and was drafted by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Early years

Dickson played football at

Bellflower High School Bellflower High School is a six-year public high school located in Bellflower, California, as part of the Bellflower Unified School District (BUSD). Demographics and class size As of 2009, Bellflower had 136 regular educations teachers and 123 c ...

and played on both offense and defense, playing

and

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 ...

. Dickson led his team in receiving yards and quarterback sacks during his senior season, and by his performance he was named Southeast-South Coast Lineman of the-Year by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. Dickson's high school awards include Best in the West Honorable Mention tight end/linebacker by the

Long Beach Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Ly ...

, First-team All-Suburban League and First-team All-league pick (offense and defense).

College career

Dickson enrolled at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his freshman year. He spent time with the defensive ends, but ended up as the

in the team's depth chart behind

Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario (born October 25, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for Oregon. He was also a member of the Miami ...

. He played 13 games as a defensive lineman in 2006. In 2009, Dickson was selected to the preseason watch list for the

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, ...

, given out to the nation's best

. On September 27, 2009, Dickson was named the national player of the week by the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

. He earned the honors after catching 11 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns in an upset of the #6 California Golden Bears. Dickson earned his degree from Oregon in Family and Human Services.

Awards and honors

* Pac-10 offensive player of the week for the week of September 26, 2009 *2008 Second-team All-Pac-10 *2008 3rd-Team Pacific-10 All-Conference (

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pr ...

)

Professional career

Pre-draft

Dickson was regarded as one of the best tight ends available in the 2010 NFL Draft. Aldon Smith blocks Ed Dickson

Baltimore Ravens

Dickson was drafted in the third round (70th overall) by the

. The pick was one of three that the Ravens acquired in a trade 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 headquar ...

on the first night of the draft on April 22. The Broncos received a first-round pick which was used to select Tim Tebow. Dickson signed a three-year contract on July 2, 2010. As a backup to veteran

Todd Heap Todd Benjamin Heap (born March 16, 1980) is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in ...

, Dickson recorded 11 receptions, 153 yards, and one touchdown. However, the following year marked big changes for Dickson. Heap was released, and Dickson found himself in a battle with Dennis Pitta for the starting job. Also, Dickson switched from #83 to #84 after Lee Evans became a Raven. Dickson was the main starter in 2011, and caught five touchdowns. During the Ravens Super Bowl championship season in 2012, Dickson saw his role in the passing game decrease in favor of Pitta, though he often found himself on blocking duty. During the 2013 season, however, Dickson was the starter for most of the season as Pitta suffered a hip fracture injury before the season began.

Carolina Panthers

On April 10, 2014, Dickson signed a one-year deal with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

.. Dickson signed a three-year, $6.8 million contract extension on March 11, 2015. During the 2015 season, the Panthers won 15 games, which set a team record for victories. On February 7, 2016, Dickson was part of the Panthers team that played in

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

. In the game, the Panthers fell to the

by a score of 24–10. On October 8, 2017, Dickson posted an impressive performance with 175 receiving yards as the Panthers won 27-24 over the Detroit Lions.

Seattle Seahawks

On March 16, 2018, Dickson signed a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks worth up to $14 million, with the first year fully guaranteed. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on September 1, 2018. He was activated to the active roster on October 27, 2018. On September 2, 2019, Dickson was placed on injured reserve. He was designated for return from injured reserve on October 30, 2019, and began practicing with the team again. He was activated on November 20, 2019. However, he was placed back on injured reserve two days later. On March 31, 2020, Dickson was released by the Seahawks. He officially announced his retirement as an active player on November 17, 2022."Ed Dickson Retires as a Raven After 10-Year Career," Baltimore Ravens, Thursday, November 17, 2022.
Retrieved November 17, 2022.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioBaltimore Ravens bioOregon Ducks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Ed 1987 births Living people American football tight ends Baltimore Ravens players Carolina Panthers players Oregon Ducks football players People from Bellflower, California Players of American football from Inglewood, California Seattle Seahawks players