The 2021 NFL draft is over, but that doesn’t mean the Washington Football Team is done adding talent to the roster.
The Football Team announced on Wednesday they had agreed to terms with a pair of veteran free agents in tight end Deon Yelder and cornerback Linden Stephens.
The 26-year-old Yelder is entering his fourth season in the NFL. After going undrafted out of Western Kentucky, Yelder signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent. He was cut at the end of training camp.
Yelder then signed with Kansas City’s practice squad on Oct. 4, 2018. He was promoted to the active roster and appeared in three games that season. Yelder played in a total of nine games for the Chiefs in 2019, catching three passes for 50 yards.
Yelder appeared in 14 games for Kansas City in 2020. He caught seven passes for 36 yards.
We've signed CB Linden Stephens and TE Deon Yelder
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) May 6, 2021
He comes to Washington with a chance to compete for a roster spot as the backup to starter Logan Thomas. Washington drafted Boise State tight end John Bates in the fourth round of the draft. Yelder joins Thomas, Bates, Sammis Reyes, Marcus Baugh and Temarrick Hemingway as the tight ends on Washington’s roster.
Stephens entered the league, coincidentally enough, in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints. He has spent time with the Saints, Broncos, Rams, Dolphins and two stints with the Seahawks. He played 13 games for Seattle in 2020.
The 6-foot-0, 193-pound Stephens played collegiately at Cincinnati.
