Duke Shelley
PositionCornerback
Birth dateOctober 8, 1996 (age 29)
Birth placeTucker, Georgia, U.S.
Height5 ft
Height in9
Weight lbs176
High schoolTucker
CollegeKansas State (2015–2018)
Draftyear2019
Draftround6
Draftpick205
Pastteams
Statseason2024
Statlabel 1Total tackles
Statvalue 193
Statlabel 2Forced fumbles
Statlabel 3Fumble recoveries
Statvalue 31
Statlabel 4Pass deflections
Statvalue 414
Statlabel 5Interceptions
Statvalue 51
PfrShelDu00

YaQuis Bertron "Duke" Shelley (born October 8, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Early life

Shelley grew up in Tucker, Georgia and attended Tucker High School. He was a three-year starter for the Tigers and was ranked the 22nd best cornerback in his class by Rivals.com and 33rd by ESPN.[1]

College career

In four years at Kansas State, Shelley recorded 165 career tackles and eight interceptions.[2]

During his junior year in 2017, Shelley started all 12 games and recorded 13 pass breakups, fourth most in the Big 12 Conference, and was given honorable mention all-conference honors. His senior year was marred by a season-ending toe injury after seven games.[3]

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Shelley was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round (205th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft.[4] Shelley signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on June 20, 2019, worth $2,647,832, including a $127,832 signing bonus.[5] Shelley made his NFL debut on September 5, 2019, in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.[6] He played in nine games as a rookie, mostly on special teams.[7]

Shelley entered the 2021 season as the third cornerback on the depth chart behind Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor. He played in nine games with three starts before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 11. He was placed on injured reserve on November 23, 2021.[8] He was activated on December 21.

On August 31, 2022, Shelley was waived by the Bears.[9]

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

On September 6, 2022, Shelley signed with the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings.[10] He was promoted to the active roster on November 12, and served as the primary replacement for Cameron Dantzler during his injured reserve stint. He had a game-saving pass deflection in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills in a 33–30 win. In Week 18 against the Bears, Shelley recorded his first career interception against Tim Boyle.[11]

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 23, 2023, Shelley signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.[12] He was released on August 29, 2023.[13]

Los Angeles Rams

On September 1, 2023, Shelley signed with the Los Angeles Rams.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on November 27, and activated on January 10, 2024.[15]

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On July 23, 2024, Shelley signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[16] He was released on August 27.[17]

New York Giants

On August 29, 2024, Shelley was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.[18] He was released on October 15.[19]

Indianapolis Colts

On July 31, 2025, Shelley signed with the Indianapolis Colts.[20] He was released on August 26 as part of final roster cuts.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Duke Shelley: 3 things to know about the new Bears CB draft pick". QCOnline.com. Pro Football Weekly. April 27, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.[dead link]
  2. ^ Perez, Bryan (April 27, 2019). "2019 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears select Kansas State CB Duke Shelley in 6th round". USA Today. Bears Wire. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Mayer, Larry (April 27, 2019). "Bears draft CB Duke Shelley in sixth round". Chicago Bears. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Zeglinski, Robert (April 27, 2019). "2019 NFL Draft: Bears draft Duke Shelley at No. 205 overall". WindyCityGridiron.com. SB Nation
  5. ^ Comeaux, Jonathan (June 20, 2019). "Bears Sign Sixth-Round CB Duke Shelley, Wrap Up Draft Class". NFLTradeRumors.co
  6. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - September 5th, 2019 - Snap counts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "Duke Shelley 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Mishler-Elmore, Beth (November 23, 2021). "Bears place DB on Injured Reserve, Re-Sign Familiar Face". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 31, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears claim six players off waivers". ChicagoBears.com
  10. ^ "Vikings Sign Former Bears CB Duke Shelley to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. September 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Ragatz, Will (2023-01-09). "Duke Shelley Gets First Career Interception Against the Team That Cut Him". SI.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  12. ^ "Raiders sign CB Duke Shelley". Raiders.com. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  13. ^ "Raiders finalize initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season". Raiders.com. August 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Jackson, Stu (2023-09-01). "Rams sign DB Duke Shelley to active roster". TheRams.com. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  15. ^ DaSilva, Cameron (2024-01-10). "Rams activate DB Duke Shelley from injured reserve". Rams Wire. USA Today. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  16. ^ "Vikings Sign Former Cornerback Duke Shelley". Vikings.com. July 24, 2024.
  17. ^ Gates, Christopher (2024-08-27). "Vikings Release Duke Shelley, Waive Dallas Gant". Daily Norseman. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  18. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 29, 2024). "Giants sign TE/FB Jakob Johnson to 53-man roster; C Austin Schlottmann to IR". Giants.com
  19. ^ Salomone, Dan (15 October 2024). "Giants sign DT Armon Watts to practice squad; CB Duke Shelley released". Giants.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  20. ^ Arthur, Jake (July 31, 2025). "Colts End Defender's Season, Sign Two Free Agents". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  21. ^ Foster, Amanda. "Colts make roster moves to form initial 53-man roster for 2025 regular season". colts.com. Retrieved 27 August 2025.