A year after being passed over in the NFL draft, and eight months after being cut by the Green Bay Packersfollowing a short-lived tryout,Colt Lyerla is back for another chance.
The former Oregon tight end walked away from the Ducks football program in 2013, and questions about his character and drug use ended any hope of him being drafted last year. The Packers signed him as an undrafted free agent, but he didn't make the roster. Just weeks after being cut last August, Lyerla's personal problems were compounded by a DUI charge.
Just a week before the 2015 NFL Draft, Lyerla has resurfaced on a video that shows him running routes and catching passes, and ends with a message to any NFL club that might be willing to give him another chance.
"To the NFL teams out there, obviously there have been a lot of bad decisions made in the past. But the past is the past and it's going to stay in the past. 2015 has been a good year to me. The injury has healed well. I've been in a substance-abuse program for the past year and a half. I haven't failed a test since, and my DUI case I had back in September has been officially dismissed," he said. "We're moving forward, and like an old coach I used to have, Chip Kelly, used to say: win the day. I think I have a long string of winning days, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep that process going moving forward and make an NFL 2015 roster."
Lyerla injured his knee early last August while with the Packers, and reached an injury settlement with the team before being waived.
"With the injury, I had the option for surgery. I chose to let it naturally heal because I believe in my body," he added. "I've always been able to naturally heal every injury I've ever had."
Hey, if Tim Tebow can get another chance after two years away from the game, perhaps Lyerla can find a team after just one year away.
Unlike Tebow, however, Lyerla biggest obstacle could be Lyerla himself.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
