Corliss Waitman
Chicago Bears
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1995-07-21) July 21, 1995[1]
Ghent, Belgium[1]
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Milton (Milton, Florida)
College:South Alabama (2014–2018)
CFL Draft:2022G / Round: 3 / Pick: 20
Undrafted:2020
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2022
Punts:103
Punting yards:4,835
Average punt:46.9
Longest punt:63
Inside 20:31
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Corliss Leendert Waitman (born July 21, 1995) is a Belgian-born American football punter for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Alabama.

Early years

Waitman's mother's family is from Suriname.[2] His father, José Waitman, was a professional basketball player, and was playing in Belgium when Corliss was born. The family moved to the Netherlands, where Corliss spent his childhood. When he was 15, he moved to the United States to join his father. Waitman switched from playing soccer to football in high school.[3]

College career

Waitman played college football at South Alabama from 2014 to 2018. In February 2019, he transferred to Mississippi State University.[4] However, the NCAA denied Waitman an extra year of eligibility, and he did not play college football in 2019.[5][6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m)		 213 lb
(97 kg)
Values from Pro Day[7]

Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)

Waitman was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 14, 2021. He was waived on May 3, 2021.

Las Vegas Raiders

On July 26, 2021, Waitman was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was waived on August 23, 2021.

New England Patriots (first stint)

On November 23, 2021, Waitman was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.[8]

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

Waitman was signed by the Steelers off the Patriots practice squad on December 25, 2021, when Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III took bereavement leave.[9] He made his NFL debut in the team's week 16 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs the following day. He was waived on January 15, 2022.[10]

Denver Broncos

On January 17, 2022, Waitman was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos.[11]

Waitman was also drafted by the Edmonton Elks in the third round (20th overall) of the 2022 CFL Global Draft.[12]

Waitman was named the starting punter for the Broncos on August 29, 2022, after veteran punter Sam Martin was released.[13] In Week 3, Waitman punted 10 times, six of them inside the 20-yard line, in an 11–10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, earning American Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.[14]

New England Patriots (second stint)

On March 23, 2023, Waitman signed a contract with the Patriots, following the Patriots releasing Jake Bailey.[15][16][17] On August 28, 2023, the Patriots released Waitman and was re-signed to the practice squad.[18][19] Waitman was released on October 4, 2023.[20]

Chicago Bears

On January 9, 2024, Waitman signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chicago Bears.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Corliss Waitman – Football". South Alabama Jaguars Athletics. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  2. ↑ steelers story
  3. ↑ unique backstory
  4. ↑ "Ex-USA punter Corliss Waitman signs with Miss. State". AL.com. February 6, 2019.
  5. ↑ Nissim, Steve (April 30, 2020). "Persistence lands Milton's Corliss Waitman an NFL opportunity". WEAR.
  6. ↑ "NCAA denies Mississippi State grad transfer's 6th year of eligibility waiver". Saturday Down South. August 3, 2019.
  7. ↑ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Corliss Waitman College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Patriots sign punter Corliss Waitman to the practice squad". Patriots.com. November 23, 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  9. ↑ "USA's Corliss Waitman set for NFL debut on Sunday". al.com. December 26, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ Varley, Teresa (January 15, 2022). "Steelers activate Smith-Schuster". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  11. ↑ Williams, Charean (January 17, 2022). "Broncos claim Corliss Waitman off waivers". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  12. ↑ "Kingsley Jonathan leads the Way in Global Draft". CFL.ca. May 3, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  13. ↑ "Broncos cut punter Sam Martin after he refuses pay cut". NBC Sports. August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ Gordon, Grant (September 28, 2022). "Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  15. ↑ "Patriots Re-Sign DL Daniel Ekuale and Sign P Corliss Waitman". patriots.com. March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  16. ↑ Yang, Nicole (March 23, 2023). "Patriots sign left-footed punter Corliss Waitman - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  17. ↑ "New Dolphins punter Jake Bailey addresses Patriots' suspension and contract dispute". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  18. ↑ "Patriots Release QB Trace McSorley and P Corliss Waitman". Patriots.com. August 28, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Patriots Practice Squad Headlined by QBs Zappe, Malik". SI.com. August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Patriots Sign DL Trysten Hill to the Practice Squad; Release P Corliss Waitman from the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ Medina, Luis. "Punter Corliss Waitman Signs with the Bears". Bleacher Nation. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
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