Andre Holmes

Andre Holmes (born June 16, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. Originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Holmes also played for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos.

Andre Holmes

Holmes with the Raiders in 2014
No. 15, 18, 19
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1988-06-16) June 16, 1988 (age 37) Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	James B. Conant (Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
College:	Hillsdale
NFL draft:	2011: undrafted
Career history
[1] Minnesota Vikings (2011)* Dallas Cowboys (2011–2012) New England Patriots (2012–2013)* Oakland Raiders (2013–2016) Buffalo Bills (2017–2018) Denver Broncos (2018)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 128 Receiving yards: 1,744 Receiving touchdowns: 15 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Holmes played college football at Hillsdale College. He played for Hillsdale from 2007 to 2010 and holds the school's all-time record for receiving yardage.^[2] During his junior and senior seasons, he also set multiple Hillsdale records with 181 catches, 2,444 yards and 17 touchdowns.^[3][4] After completing his collegiate career, he was invited to play in the Texas vs. The Nation college football all-star game.^[5][6]

Early life

Holmes attended James B. Conant High School where he started at wide receiver for only one season. His football coaches were Dave Pendergast and Bill Modelski. He also participated in basketball where he was coached by Tom McCormack and Jeff Stewart.

In track and field, he set PR of 6.85 meters in the long jump and 14.06 meters in triple jump. In addition, he was also a member of the 4 × 200m relay (1:29.66).

College career

Holmes accepted a football scholarship from NCAA Division II Hillsdale College, where he was coached by Keith Otterbein. As a sophomore, he became a starter at wide receiver. As a junior, he started all 12 games, posting 77 receptions for 1,076 yards.

As a senior, he set single-season school records with 104 receptions and over 1,300 receiving yards. He also had 11 touchdowns. He set a single-game school record in the team's first-round playoff game against St. Cloud State University with 16 receptions, while tallying 208 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Holmes finished his college career as the school's All-time receiver with 219 receptions for 3,092 yards. He was twice named ALL-GLIAC and a Division II All-American honorable-mention.

He was also a member of the track and field team, winning the GLIAC title in the outdoor triple jump at the conference championships in 2006.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

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 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	34 in (0.86 m)	8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m)	4.45 s	1.58 s	2.60 s	4.31 s	6.69 s	35 in (0.89 m)	10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)	11 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8]

Dallas Cowboys

Holmes was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2011 NFL draft on July 27, due to his small school background. He was waived on August 29.

On September 5, 2011, the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad. He was promoted him to the active roster on December 9. He suffered a hamstring injury and did not play in the last 4 games of the season. Holmes was waived by the Cowboys on November 24, 2012.^[9] On November 27, the Cowboys signed Holmes to their practice squad, as a replacement to Danny Coale, but he wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.^[10]

New England Patriots

Holmes was signed by New England Patriots on January 8, 2013, to the practice squad.^[11] He was waived on May 10.^[12]

Oakland Raiders

Holmes was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders on May 13, 2013.^[13] On July 27, 2013, he was suspended for the first 4 games of the 2013 season due to violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. After serving his suspension and being reinstated by the NFL the Raiders activated him to their roster on October 7, 2013, filling the open roster spot after the release of quarterback Matt Flynn.^[14]

On January 7, 2017, Holmes caught his first career postseason touchdown from quarterback Connor Cook in the Raiders' 14–27 wildcard round loss to the Houston Texans.^[15]

Buffalo Bills

On March 18, 2017, Holmes signed a three-year, $6.5 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.^[16] On September 10, in the season-opening 21–12 victory over the New York Jets, he recorded his first touchdown as a Bill, a one-yard pass from quarterback Tyrod Taylor.^[17] He was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2017, with a neck injury.^[18]

During the 2018 season, Holmes played in over 70% of special team snaps for the Bills. On December 4, 2018, the Bills released Holmes.^[19]

Denver Broncos

On December 5, 2018, Holmes was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos.^[20] On December 28, 2018, Holmes was placed on injured reserve.^[21] He was released on January 23, 2019.^[22]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2012	DAL	7	0	2	11	5.5	7	0	0	0
2013	OAK	10	4	25	431	17.2	40	1	0	0
2014	OAK	16	13	47	693	14.7	77T	4	0	0
2015	OAK	16	1	14	201	14.4	49T	4	0	0
2016	OAK	16	2	14	126	9.0	23	3	0	0
2017	BUF	14	2	13	120	9.2	36	3	0	0
2018	BUF	12	3	12	157	13.1	24	0	0	0
	DEN	3	0	1	5	5.0	5	0	0	0
Totals		92	25	128	1,744	13.6	77T	15	0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2016	OAK	1	0	4	50	12.5	20	1	0	0
Totals		1	0	4	50	12.5	20	1	0	0

Personal life

Holmes' father, Kevin Holmes, played college basketball for DePaul in the 1980s.^[23] His younger brother Jason, a former college basketball player at Mississippi Valley State and Morehead State, played Australian rules football professionally with St Kilda in the Australian Football League.^[24][25]