Joseph Matthew Gaziano (born September 27, 1996) 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 with ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

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 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 Northwestern.

Early life and high school

Gaziano grew up in

Scituate, Massachusetts Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. History The Wampanoag and their neighbors have inhabited ...

and attended

Xaverian Brothers High School , motto_translation = To bear witness to the truth in brotherhood , accreditation = New England Association of Schools and Colleges , rival = St. John's Prep , mascot = Hawk , mascot image = , sports ...

, where he played football and lacrosse. He was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after recording 21 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.

College career

Gaziano was a member of the Northwestern Wildcats for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman year. He finished his collegiate career with school records of 30 sacks and 10 forced fumbles and second all-time with 48.5 tackles for loss with 153 total tackles, four fumbles recovered, 15 passes defended and a blocked kick in 52 games played.

Professional career

Gaziano was signed by the

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 ...

on April 25, 2020. He was waived at the end of training camp during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad on September 10, 2020. He was elevated to the active roster on October 12 and December 26 for the team's weeks 5 and 16 games against 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 ...

and

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 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 1, 2021, Gaziano was signed to the active roster. On August 31, 2021, Gaziano was waived by the Chargers and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was activated for the Chargers' week 2 game against the Cowboys. He was signed to the active roster on October 1. On August 30, 2022, Gaziano was waived by the Chargers and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 19. He was placed on injured reserve on December 21.

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bioNorthwestern Wildcats football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaziano, Joe 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Massachusetts American football defensive ends Northwestern Wildcats football players People from Scituate, Massachusetts Los Angeles Chargers players Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts Xaverian Brothers High School alumni