After attending Wisconsin, wideout Ahmad Rashad Merritt was signed by the Chicago Bears in 2000 as a free agent. At Wisconsin, Merritt was primarily a return specialist. In 21 games, he had 28 kick returns for 521 yards and 25 punt returns for 165 yards. As a receiver, he caught 36 passes for 528 yards and two touchdowns. At present, he is a free agent.
From 2000-2003, Merritt played with the Bears. He was then an unrostered player with the Dallas Cowboys from 2005-2006. In 2007, he played with the Arena League Football Chicago Rush and with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Though he was re-signed by the team on 26th March, 2008, he got released on 20th August.
The only NFL action that Merritt has seen was when he played for the Chicago Bears. In three seasons, he played in 29 games, making 19 receptions for 170 yards (8.9 YPC). He’s earned eight first downs. Merritt has also made and lost one fumble. In 15 games on the return unit, he’s had 10 punt returns for 71 yards and 65 kick returns for 1,434 yards. He’s also made 21 tackles (19 solo) and caused three forced fumbles.
| Position | Wide Receiver |
| Born | 5 Feb 1977 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Team History | |
Arizona Cardinals
|
2007 - 2008 |
Chicago Rush
|
2007 |
Dallas Cowboys
|
2005 - 2006 |
Chicago Bears
|
2000 - 2004 |
Thunder
|
2001 |
Merritt was in training camp in 2005 with the team of Dallas Cowboys and returned to the Cowboys in offseason post an injury settlement. Later on, he was released from the team prior to the 2006 season and by 2007, started to play for Chicago Rush team. He was later on even signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent spending his first season on injured reservation with the team. But, he got re-signed by the team on 26th March 2008 and got released prior to the season on 20th August.
In 2007, Merritt did not see any action due to the fact that he was on the injured reserve list. At five-foot-ten and 197 pounds, he’s undersized for a NFL receiver. Primarily a special teams player, he’s seen most of his action as a return man. In terms of receiving, his small frame works against him in both attempting to achieve separation and in going up against bigger defenders when the pass is in the air. Although he lacks speed, he possesses good quickness. He works best against man-to-man coverage and soft zones. His route running is better than average and his pass catching skills are quite good. Merritt is limited by his lack of size, strength and bulk.
