Introduction
Keith Kirkwood (born December 26, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple.
Early life and education
Kirthwood was born and raised in Neptune Township, New Jersey. He went to Green Grove Elementary school. Kirkwood played both basketball and football at Neptune High School, from which he graduated in 2013.
College career
Kirkwood attended and played for Temple University after transferring from the University of Hawaii.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
221 lb (100 kg) |
4.45 s | 1.63 s | 2.66 s | 4.43 s | 6.94 s | 35 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
16 reps | |||
| All values from Temple’s Pro Day. | ||||||||||||
On May 1, 2018, the New Orleans Saints signed Kirkwood as an undrafted free agent to a three-year, $1.72 million contract that includes $42,000 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $17,000.
Throughout training camp, Kirkwood competed for a roster spot as a backup wide receiver against Austin Carr, Tommylee Lewis, Brandon Coleman, Josh Huff, Travin Dural, and Eldridge Massington. On September 1, 2018, the New Orleans Saints waived Kirkwood as part of their final roster cuts, but signed him to their practice squad the following day after clearing waivers.
On November 10, 2018, the New Orleans Saints promoted Kirkwood from their practice squad to their active roster after newly acquired free agent Dez Bryant tore his Achilles tendon during practice. The Saints placed multiple wide receivers on injured reserve after sustaining injuries, including Ted Ginn Jr., Tommylee Lewis, Travin Dural, and Cameron Meredith. Kirkwood became the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart upon joining the active roster, behind Michael Thomas, Tre'Quan Smith, and Austin Carr.
On November 11, 2018, Kirkwood made his professional regular season debut and caught two passes for 45-yards and made one tackle on special teams during a 51–14 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10.
On September 17, 2019, Kirkwood was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 13, 2019, and began practicing with the team again. However, he was not activated by the end of the three-week practice window on December 4, 2019, and remained on injured reserve for the rest of the season.