LINK – JAMIE MEDER'S CLEVELANDBROWNS.COM PAGE
LINK – ADAM SHAHEEN'S CHICAGOBEARS.COM PAGE
Former Ashland University All-Americans Jamie Meder and Adam Shaheen made their 2017 National Football League preseason debuts on Thursday (Aug. 10) night.
Meder, pushing the center back into the backfield, recorded a half-sack in the first quarter for the Cleveland Browns at home against the New Orleans Saints. He finished the 20-14 win with an assisted tackle, as well.
Shaheen, who made the start for the Chicago Bears at home vs. the Denver Broncos in a three-tight-end set, caught a three-yard pass as the Bears drove for a late-first-half touchdown. Chicago lost, 24-17.
Meder is in his fourth NFL training camp after re-signing with the Browns on March 28. In his first season as an NFL starter at defensive end in 2016, Meder finished with 48 total tackles (26 solo) and one sack. He earned Week 16 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors following a blocked field goal which helped Cleveland to its only win of the season on Dec. 24 at home against the San Diego Chargers.
In his first full NFL season in 2015, Meder came off the bench in all 16 regular-season games for the Browns as a key member of the defensive line rotation as both a nose tackle and a defensive end. He finished 2015 with 33 total tackles (16 solo) and a sack.
Meder became the first former Eagle to play in a regular-season game for the Browns in Week 17 of the 2014 campaign at Baltimore, recording one solo tackle. He originally was an undrafted free agent with the Ravens three years ago, and spent more than two months on their practice squad before joining Cleveland.
Following in a long line of highly-decorated AU defensive linemen, Meder was a two-time All-American (first-team American Football Coaches Association in 2013), Ashland's first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year (2010), a two-time GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year (2012-13) and a four-time All-GLIAC first-teamer.
His collegiate career totals include 247 total tackles (96 solo), 35 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Shaheen is taking part in his first NFL training camp after being drafted in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Bears. He is coming off a record-setting junior season at Ashland in 2016, one in which he caught a school-record and NCAA Division II single-season tight end-record 16 touchdown passes.
Shaheen garnered many prestigious honors following and during the 2016 campaign - 2016-17 GLIAC Student-Athlete of the Year, 2016-17 AU Male Student-Athlete of the Year, fall 2016 GLIAC Commissioner's Award, first-team AFCA, Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and D2Football.com first-team All-American; D2CCA and Don Hansen first-team All-Super Region 4, CoSIDA first-team Academic All-America, CoSIDA first-team Academic All-District, All-GLIAC first-team and a Harlon Hill Trophy (D-II Player of the Year) nomination.
On Oct. 10, 2016, Shaheen was the first tight end in GLIAC history to win the conference's Offensive Player of the Week award.
Shaheen grabbed a school tight end-record 70 passes as a sophomore in 2015. After starting just two seasons for the Eagles, Shaheen is No. 5 all-time in program history with 129 career catches, No. 10 in career receiving yards with 1,755 and was two receiving touchdowns away from tying the school's all-time record in that category.
UP NEXT: Meder and the Browns play preseason game No. 2 on Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. at home vs. the New York Giants on ESPN, while Shaheen and the Bears continue preseason play on Aug. 19 at 10 p.m. at the Arizona Cardinals.
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