Soul sign four former NFL players

Published on December 6, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Soul have signed FB/LB Raheem Orr, WR/DB Dennard Wilson and OL/DL's Jason Davis and Jerome Nichols to contracts. As per club policy, terms of their deals were not disclosed. The Soul have also placed newly acquired kicker Todd France on the team's exempt list after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.

France (6'3", 210, Toledo) originally signed with the Soul on November 21 after a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2005 season. He was signed on November 29 to the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was elevated to the active roster on December 3. He kicked for the Buccaneers this past weekend against the New Orleans Saints and connected on 1-of-2 field goals and was 1-of-1 on extra points. His missed field goal was blocked on an attempt from 43-yards in the first quarter of the Buccaneers 10-3 victory. Earlier this season, he saw action in three games with the Eagles after David Akers injured his hamstring. During that time, he converted 6-of-7 field goals and 5-of-5 extra points. Prior to joining the Eagles, France spent time with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings while making a stop in NFL Europe in 2003 with the Rhein Fire.

Orr (6'3", 258, Rutgers) comes to the Soul after playing for the New York Giants last season. He was a member of their practice squad for the majority of the year before being activated to the 53-man roster for two games. He was originally drafted by the Houston Texans in the 7th round (210th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. In college, Orr was a standout at Rutgers University where he started 27 of 31 games, recording 169 total tackles with 14 sacks, 34 stops for losses, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six pass deflections.

"Raheem had a very productive college career," head coach Bret Munsey said. "He spent last season with the Giants playing against some of the best players in the game and we hope to see that transition to our league."

Wilson (5'11", 190, Maryland) signed with the Soul after spending last season with the Washington Redskins. During training camp, he suffered a knee injury and was placed on the team's injury reserve list for the remainder of the year. While in college, Wilson played in 42 games (30 starts) and tallied 158 total tackles, 28 pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for losses, two sacks and two interceptions.

"Dennard will compete in camp for a roster spot at the wide receiver/defensive back position," Coach Munsey said. "He gained experience at both positions while he was at the University of Maryland."

Davis (6'3", 290, West Virginia) comes to Philadelphia after spending the past two seasons with the Houston Texans. He was on the practice squad for the majority of his time in Houston and was activated to the 53-man roster for the final month of the 2003 season. At West Virginia, Davis played in 41 games (27 starts) and recorded 92 total tackles, four sacks, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

Nichols (6'2", 275, Wake Forest) joins the Soul after attending training camp with the Washington Redskins this past season. Prior to signing with the Redskins, he played in 39 games (22 starts) for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and recorded 61 total tackles, 18 tackles for losses, 10 pass breakups, four sacks and two interceptions.

"Jason and Jerome were highly productive on the college level and both spent time in the NFL," Coach Munsey said. "We hope their experience in the NFL game can transfer over to the arena game."

The Soul kickoff their third season in the AFL on January 29, 2006 when they host the Tampa Bay Storm at the Wachovia Center. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. Season tickets for the Soul's 2006 season are on sale now. Tickets start as low as $96. For more information call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com for more information. The Soul led the League in attendance last season, averaging 16,121 fans per game. The Soul have drawn a League best 263,783 fans combined during the past two years. Don't miss the return of the AFL on NBC beginning in January of 2006.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from December 6, 2005


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