Joshua Kalu
Joshua Elekwachi Kalu (born August 28, 1995) is an American football strong safety who is a free agent. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He played college football at Nebraska.
 Kalu with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | August 28, 1995 Houston, Texas | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Alief Taylor (Houston) | ||||||||||
| College: | Nebraska (2014-2017) | ||||||||||
| Position: | Strong safety | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2018 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2022 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Early years
Born in 1995, Kalu was a native of Houston.[1] He attended Alief Taylor High School in Alief, Texas, where he played football at the safety position.[2]
College career
Kalu played as a defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team for four years from 2014 to 2017. He appeared in a total of 46 games for Nebraska,[3] missing only three games as a senior due to injury.[4] He compiled seven interceptions and 215 tackles.[3] In 2017, Nebraska's coaching staff moved him from the cornerback to the safety position.[5][6] During his recruitment and playing career with Nebraska, he had six separate position coaches due to repeated staff turnover.[2]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) |
203 lb (92 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) | 4.58 s | 1.60 s | 2.64 s | 4.25 s | 6.74 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) | 17 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
2018 season
On May 11, 2018, the Tennessee Titans signed Kalu as an undrafted free agent.[9] On August 12, 2018, Kalu was released by the Titans, but was re-signed eight days later.[10][11] He was waived on September 1, 2018 and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[12][13] He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2018.[14] Kalu mainly played on special teams and finished the season with 4 tackles.
2019 season
On September 2, 2019, Kalu was placed on injured reserve.[15] He was designated for return from injured reserve on October 30, 2019, and began practicing with the team again.[16] He was added to the 53-man roster on November 2, 2019. [17] On November 10, 2019, in Week 10, Kalu blocked a game-tying field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 35-32 upset victory. [18] Kalu finished the 2019 regular season with six tackles and one pass defense.
2020 season
Kalu finished the 2020 regular season with a career-high 16 tackles.
New York Giants
On March 30, 2021, Kalu signed a contract with the New York Giants.[19] In his first preseason game with the Giants, Kalu suffered a torn pectoral muscle and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.[20]
Tennessee Titans (second stint)
On July 23, 2022, Kalu signed with the Tennessee Titans.[21]
NFL career statistics
References
- "Kalu benefiting from 'different level of focus'". Lincoln Journal Star. August 11, 2016.
- "NU changes failed to frazzle Kalu". Fremont Tribune. January 30, 2018. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Joshua Kalu College Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- "Going undrafted doesn't spoil NFL dreams of former Husker Joshua Kalu". Omaha World Journal. May 1, 2018.
- "Joshua Kalu may be 'best safety in the country'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 1, 2017.(available at Newslibrary.com)
- "Diaco has high praise for Kalu". The North Platte Telegraph. August 1, 2017.
- "Joshua Kalu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- "2018 Draft Scout Joshua Kalu, Nebraska NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- Wolf, Jason (April 28, 2018). "Titans signing more than 20 undrafted free agents". Tennessean.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- RotoWire Staff (August 12, 2018). "Josh Kalu: Released by Titans". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim (August 20, 2018). "Titans add DB Joshua Kalu, Place DB Kalan Reed on Injured Reserve". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim (September 1, 2018). "Roster Moves: Titans Trim Roster From 90 to 53 Players". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- Bacharach, Erik (September 2, 2018). "Titans add 10 players to practice squad, including Robert Spillane, Dalyn Dawkins". Tennessean.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim (December 1, 2018). "Titans Promote DB Joshua Kalu, Waive DB Kenneth Durden". TitansOnline.com.
- Wyatt, Jim (September 2, 2019). "Titans Claim Former Colts DB Chris Milton Off Waivers". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- Wyatt, Jim (October 30, 2019). "Wednesday's Quick Hits: Two-Step Tajae Sharpe, DB Joshua Kalu Practices, and the Titans Injury Report". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- Wyatt, Jim (November 2, 2019). "Titans Add Kicker Ryan Succop, DB Joshua Kalu to 53-Man Roster for Sunday's game vs. Panthers". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- Wyatt, Jim (November 10, 2019). "Joshua Kalu Saves Day With Blocked Field Goal Form has Titans". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- "Giants sign three more free agents, including 2 Titans DBs". AP NEWS. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- Valentine, Ed (August 15, 2021). "Giants injury news: T.J. Brunson, Joshua Kalu suffer major injuries". Big Blue View. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- Wyatt, Jim (July 23, 2022). "Roster Moves: Titans Bring Back DB Joshua Kalu While Placing Three Players on the PUP List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.