Danny Vitale
Dan Michael Vitale III (born October 26, 1993) is a former American football fullback. He played college football at Northwestern and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots.
.jpg.webp) Vitale with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 | |||||||||||||
| No. 40, 45 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | October 26, 1993 Wheaton, Illinois | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 239 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Wheaton Warrenville South (Wheaton, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Northwestern | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 6 / Pick: 197 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com | |||||||||||||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.60 s | 4.12 s | 7.12 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 30 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[1] | ||||||||||||
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vitale was selected by the Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 197th overall pick.[2] He was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts on September 3, 2016.[3]
Buffalo Bills
Vitale was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills the next day,[4] but failed his physical examination, voiding the contract.[5]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)
On September 10, 2016, he re-joined the Buccaneers as a member of their practice squad.[6]
Cleveland Browns
Vitale was signed off the Buccaneers' practice squad by the Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2016.[7]
On September 1, 2018, Vitale suffered a calf injury and was placed on injured reserve.[8] He was released on October 12, 2018.
Green Bay Packers
Vitale was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on October 22, 2018.[9] He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2018.[10] He appeared in five games in the 2018 season.[11]
In the 2019 season, Vitale saw some increased usage in the receiving game with seven receptions for 97 yards. He started in four of the 15 games he appeared in.[12]
New England Patriots
On March 21, 2020, Vitale signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.[13] On July 28, 2020, Vitale announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] He was released after the season on May 27, 2021.[15]
On June 6, 2021, Vitale announced his retirement from professional football.[16]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | CLE | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CLE | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | GB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | GB | 15 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 97 | 13.9 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NE | Did not play due to COVID-19 opt-out | |||||||||||||
| Total | 44 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 145 | 9.7 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Source: NFL.com | |||||||||||||||
References
- "Dan Vitale Combine Profile". National Football League. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Baker, Matt. "NFL draft: Bucs take Northwestern fullback Dan Vitale". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- Smith, Scott (September 3, 2016). "Bucs Trim Roster to 53". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
- "Bills claim FB Dan Vitale". BuffaloBills.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017.
- "Bills sign four to practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
- Smith, Scott (September 10, 2016). "Josh Keyes Promoted, Danny Vitale Returns". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
- "Browns sign FB Dan Vitale; place OL Joel Bitonio on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
- Gribble, Andrew (September 1, 2018). "Browns announce 53-man roster". ClevelandBrowns.com.
- "Packers sign FB Vitale to practice squad". Packers.com. October 22, 2018.
- "Packers activate Jake Kumerow to 53-man roster". Packers.com. December 1, 2018.
- "Danny Vitale 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Danny Vitale 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Report: Patriots sign fullback Dan Vitale". National Football League. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "Patriots re-sign wide receiver Will Hastings". Patriots.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- "Patriots Sign TE Troy Fumagalli; Release LB LaRoy Reynolds and FB Danny Vitale". Patriots.com. May 27, 2021.
- Bengel, Chris (June 8, 2021). "Danny Vitale, former NFL fullback, announces retirement from league on LinkedIn". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
External links