Andrew Mortarelli

Kentucky Alum

[ESPN Insights @ESPNInsights]

William "Pop" Watson III made his mark on UMass football with his game against Rutgers 👏

He's the first UMass QB with 3 pass TD and an 80% completion rate in a game since Jaguars head coach Liam Coen in 2008 🔥

[the Sports ON Tap @thesportsontap]

Dohnte Meyers went undrafted in 2023 out of Delta State, a Division II school in Mississippi.

He got a tryout at Atlanta Falcons rookie minicamp. It didn't take.

So he started driving for DoorDash.

Train during the day. Deliver food at night. Sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning. Then get up and do it again, waiting for a football phone call that wasn't coming.

Eventually he heard about an open tryout in Atlanta for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.

It cost $100 to participate. Out of pocket. His own money, from delivering food, for a chance to stand on a field with a few hundred other guys hoping somebody was watching.

He paid it.

"I balled out," Meyers said later.

Saskatchewan signed him to a futures contract in October 2023.

Then everything went wrong again. A broken hand delayed his 2024 debut. A separated shoulder ended his season early. Two years into professional football and he'd barely played.

"That was the only thing that could really provide some stability," Meyers said about leaning on his faith through that stretch.

Then 2025 happened.

65 catches. 1,056 yards. 8 touchdowns. CFL West Division All-Star. And a Grey Cup, Canada's championship, with Saskatchewan.

A Bengals scouting executive whose job is watching other pro leagues flagged him. Cincinnati brought him in for a January workout and signed him to a reserve/future contract.

That's usually where these stories end. A camp body in a receiver room that already has Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Here's the part that changed it.

The week before training camp, Joe Burrow texted him asking if he was in town for a throwing session.

Meyers was in Atlanta. The workout was the next morning at 11.

He said yes anyway, got in the car with his brother riding shotgun, and drove seven hours through the night. About 460 miles. He walked into that session on no sleep.

Burrow only found out about the drive afterward, face to face.

"I texted him, 'Hey, are you in town?' He's like, 'I can be.' I was like, 'Can you be here tomorrow at 11?' He's like, 'Yeah,'" Burrow said. "Come to find out he drove from Atlanta that night to be there to throw the next day. That's the kind of guy that he is."

Meyers explained it simply.

"Whether I've got to fly, whether I've got to drive, if the quarterback says he wants to throw, I'm ready to work. I'm not gonna let him outwork me. If he's ready to throw, I'm ready to catch."

Through three preseason games, he caught 11 passes for 121 yards, added 22 rushing yards, and 99 return yards. He took first-team reps with Burrow. The two of them stayed 40 minutes after one practice working on routes.

Today, Cincinnati cut down to 53 players.

Wide receivers coach Troy Walters called him on FaceTime to tell him.

"The sweet part about it is I get to tell a guy who worked out for us last December, came from the CFL and then we signed in February, spent hours in the coaches' office studying the playbook, made plays in the preseason. I just wanted to personally tell you congratulations for making the 53-man roster."

Meyers is 26 years old, 5-foot-11, 186 pounds. Three years ago he was delivering food and scraping together a hundred dollars for a tryout in another country.

On September 13th, he'll be on an NFL field catching passes from Joe Burrow.

For more stories like this, follow us on any platform @thesportsontap

[Andrew Mortarelli @aemortarelli]

This rod wave album ain’t got a single good song

[John Fadule @fadule_]

15 Sundays from now - Sunday December 13th:

-shower
-black coffee
-gym for 40 minutes
-meet up with your boys for the 1PM NFL games
-well thought-out food order (breakfast sandwiches and tater tots)
-50-minute nap on their couch
-wake up to Tom Brady calling Rams-Niners at 4:25
-have a nostalgic conversation about the throw Michael Vick made to Brent Celek against the Bears in 2010
-order Chinese food
-go to the girl you’re hooking up with’s place and ask her to be your +1 to your friend’s Christmas party (she says yes then you smash)
-watch The Big Short with the night game on mute (Bills-Packers)
-Josh Allen puts up 37 and you’re the high scorer in your Fantasy League
-smoke a joint on your balcony listening to How To Save A Life by The Fray
-get randomly grateful to be an able-bodied male living in a free country with NFL Sundays

[Reav0 @itsreav0]

They’re calling it the best Instagram post of all time

[Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) @shannonsharpeee]

Dawg bhen didn’t hold back responding to Julian Newman lmaooo im crying 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Dan Devine @YourManDevine]

I understand broadly how it happened, but also, Cole Anthony being out of the league at age 26 feels wild.

[greg @greg16676935420]

It’s only July but I’m calling it early for craziest video of the year

[USMNT burner @burnerusmnt]

Our crusty ass 2014 team took golden age belgium 120 mins and we making their unction look like prime Brazil make it make sense

[Andrew Mortarelli @aemortarelli]

@JohnBoelWAVE3 It’s always been Messi…

[Will Warren @statsbywill]

Florida Atlantic to the NBA in 27 months is one of the most absurd rises we'll ever see

[Tyler DeLuca @TylerDeLuca]

Genuinely the best thing that can happen to American soccer culture is to lean in to what makes us unique with our college football culture opposed to doing our version of European soccer culture

College gameday style atmospheres is a great start

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Let’s go Team USA! Good luck at the World Cup, @USMNT.

[Patrick MacCoon @PMacCoon]

The Spain national football team has arrived in downtown Chattanooga for the FIFA World Cup

[Andrew Mortarelli @aemortarelli]

Arsenal omg

[Tom Bogert @tombogert]

Sam Sarver scored a stoppage-time game-winning goal for FC Dallas last night at San Jose. Beer cans were thrown onto the field and Sarver grabbed one off the ground and shotgunned it.

IMMEDIATE MLS heritage.

[Andrew Mortarelli @aemortarelli]

I just wonder if I made my parents proud

[Andrew Mortarelli @aemortarelli]

I miss my parents

[Jake Fenner @jakefenner_]

A win for the club and - more importantly - a win for all the members of the front office who still care so deeply, but were driven out because of Michele.

Let’s hope this marks the start of a new beginning for Hartford Athletic.

[Ryan Hammer🔨 @ryanhammer09]

@CBBcontent