 Wells (center) with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2008 | |||||||||||||
| No. 26 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1988-08-07)August 7, 1988 (age 36) Akron, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 229 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Garfield (Akron) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2006–2008) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2009: 1st round, 31st pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Christopher Michael Wells (born August 7, 1988), known asChris Wells orBeanie Wells, is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back for theArizona Cardinals of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the2009 NFL draft with the 31st overall pick.
Wells was a highly touted player out of high school, where he playedfootball atAkron Garfield High School and rantrack.[1] His high school running back coach, Ben Dunn, said that Beanie was one of the most explosive play-makers he had seen in his 28 years at the school. He was often considered the best recruit out ofOhio. Wells played at Akron Garfield High from 2002 to 2005, graduating early in December. In track, he was timed at 10.8 seconds in the100 meters as a high school junior, and also recorded a 4.4840-yard dash as a senior. He was listed as the top running back and All-American by Parade in 2006.[2]
Wells was offered to play at schools such asMichigan andUSC, but he always knew he was going to play atOhio State, saying "I think I came out of my mom's womb wanting to go to Ohio State."[3]
Beanie's number during his career at Ohio State was #28.[4]
During Wells's freshman year, he shared carries withAntonio Pittman, had a solid freshman year, and was a big part of the2006 Buckeyes.[5] In his collegiate debut, he had ten carries for 50 rushing yards and a touchdown againstNorthern Illinois.[6] The highlight of his freshman year came in theOhio State–Michigan game where he broke a 52-yard run for a touchdown that put the Buckeyes ahead of theWolverines for the rest of the game.[7]
| Stat | Attempts | Yards | Average | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | 104 | 576 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Receiving | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 |
WithAntonio Pittman going into theNFL draft, Wells became the startingrunning back and started every game in his sophomore year forOhio State. On October 20, Wells had 21 carries for 221 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in a victory overMichigan State.[8] On November 17, Wells rushed for 222 yards in the annualrivalry game againstMichigan, the second most rushing yards by an Ohio State running back against Michigan.[9][10] He led theBig Ten Conference in rushing attempts with 274 in the 2007 season.[11]
| Stat | Number | Yards | Average | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | 274 | 1,609 | 5.9 | 15 |
| Receiving | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 0 |
Wells rushed 13 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown in his first game against theYoungstown State Penguins on August 30, 2008.[12] He also suffered a foot injury.[13] After missing three games, he returned to the starting lineup September 27, 2008, againstMinnesota, where he rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries.[14] He then followed that performance up with a 22 carry, 168 yard effort against Wisconsin, which included a 33-yard touchdown on the game's first possession and a 54-yard run to start the second half.[15] In the November 15 game againstIllinois, Wells leaped over an Illini defender.[16][17]
| Stat | Number | Yards | Average | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | 207 | 1,197 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Receiving | 7 | 26 | 3.7 | 0 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.38 s | 1.50 s | 2.51 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) | 25 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[22][23] | ||||||||||||
Wells was selected in the first round (31st overall) by theArizona Cardinals in the2009 NFL draft.[24] He competed for the startingrunning back job withTim Hightower.[25]
On August 1, 2009, Wells was signed to a five-year contract.[26] Later that day, he was carted off from practice with an ankle injury.[27]
In Week 1 of the 2009 season, Wells made his NFL debut with seven carries for 29 yards against theSan Francisco 49ers in a 20–16 loss.[28] In Week 7, in the second quarter against theNew York Giants, Wells ran 13 yards for his first NFL touchdown. In that game, Wells rushed for 67 yards on 14 attempts.[29] In Week 15, Wells had his first career 100-yard game, against theDetroit Lions, with 17 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.[30] In theDivisional Round of the playoffs, Wells scored his first postseason touchdown, a four-yard rush against theNew Orleans Saints.[31] He ended the season with 176 carries for 793 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 12 receptions for 143 receiving yards.[32]
In the2010 season, Wells appeared in 13 games and started two. He finished with 116 carries for 397 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[33]
For the2011 NFL season, the Cardinals and coachKen Whisenhunt placed a heavy emphasis on the ground-attack led by Wells. The decision was mostly influenced by the departure of Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins, in turn giving the starting back role to Wells.[34]
In Week 4 of the 2011 season, Wells rushed 27 times for 138 yards and three touchdowns in the 31–27 loss to theNew York Giants.[35] On November 27, 2011, in Week 12, Wells set a Cardinals single-game and personal record by rushing for 228 yards against theSt. Louis Rams.[36] Wells' performance eclipsed the team record previously held byLeShon Johnson, who rushed for 214 yards against theNew Orleans Saints in 1996.[37] Wells finished the 2011 season with his first 1,000 yard season, ending with 1,047 yards on 245 carries (a 4.3 average) and 10 touchdowns.[38]
On September 26, 2012, Wells was placed on the injured reserve list due to a severe turf toe injury but received the new "designated to return" tag and was expected to return in practice on November 7.[39][40]
On Sunday, November 25, 2012, Wells made his first appearance back from Injured Reserve for Arizona's game against theSt. Louis Rams, scoring his first two touchdowns of the season.[41] His relationship with management soured near the end of the season. After gaining three yards on four carries against theChicago Bears in the penultimate game of the season,[42] Wells declared that he would be auditioning for the other 31 teams in his last appearance. Coach Whisenhunt held Wells out of the final game.[43] On March 11, 2013, Wells was released by the Arizona Cardinals.[44]
On October 9, 2013, Wells tore his Achilles tendon during a workout with the Baltimore Ravens.[45]
After the injury, Wells did not sign with another NFL team.
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2009 | ARI | 16 | 0 | 176 | 793 | 4.5 | 33 | 7 | 12 | 143 | 11.9 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2010 | ARI | 13 | 2 | 116 | 397 | 3.4 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 74 | 14.8 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | ARI | 14 | 14 | 245 | 1,047 | 4.3 | 71 | 10 | 10 | 52 | 5.2 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2012 | ARI | 8 | 7 | 88 | 234 | 2.7 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 51 | 23 | 625 | 2,471 | 4.0 | 71 | 24 | 28 | 293 | 10.5 | 43 | 0 | 10 | 7 | |
Wells is one of eleven children. His parents are James and Paulette Wells. The nickname Beanie was given to him by his family at a young age and he has said, "when I was young, my big brother said I was skinny like a bean pole."[46][47]
Media related toBeanie Wells at Wikimedia Commons