Former Elon University quarterback Davis Cheek has been signed by the Carolina Panthers after going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Cheek started 40 games in five seasons at Elon. He missed the 2020-21 spring season due to a knee injury. He finished his career with 8,548 passing yards, 51 passing touchdowns and 21 interceptions and was named to the 2021 All-Colonial Athletic Association Second Team.
Since the first NFL Draft in 1936, only 17 players from Elon University’s football team have been selected by NFL franchises, and only three have been taken since 1992. Cheek is the eighth Elon player to be signed by an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
Cheek will compete for a roster spot with the Panthers this summer. Each NFL team can have 53 players on their active roster and an additional 16 on their practice squad, which allows teams to have replacement players available in the case of injuries.
NFL teams can carry 90 players into the preseason, a three-game exhibition slate in August that allows teams to evaluate players. There are three rounds of preseason cuts in which teams will go from 90 to 53 players. Dates for these deadlines have not yet been announced.
Elon News Network has requested an interview with Cheek and is waiting for comment.