On Jan. 21, 2025, new Memphis Showboats general manager Jim Monos added two new faces to his roster in tight end Chris Pierce Jr. and safety James Jones IV, while re-signing cornerback Nehemiah Shelton.
Pierce Jr. finished an impressive five-year stint at Vanderbilt with 1,398 yards and nine touchdowns on 109 career receptions. Pierce Jr. capped off his collegiate career with a 2021 season that essentially saw him double his production from the prior year, finishing with 57 catches for 654 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. While he is listed at tight end, he was primarily utilized as a wideout during his time with the Commodores – despite being slightly oversized for the position at 6-4 235 lbs.
Pierce Jr. signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2022 but was released during training camp. In the fall of 2023, he joined the Birmingham Stallions but signed with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad a few months later. After the 2023 NFL season, he inked a reserve/future contract with Carolina, which ruled him out for the inaugural UFL season. Since being waived by the Panthers in May of 2024, he has been a free agent – up until now.
Pierce Jr. joins a Memphis tight end room that features Jay Jay Wilson, who was a backup for the Showboats last season, and Ryan Izzo, a Super Bowl LIII champion with the New England Patriots in 2019 who more recently played for the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in 2023.
The Showboats also reinforced their defensive secondary with the re-signing of Shelton and signing of Jones IV.
Memphis selected cornerback Nehemiah Shelton in the seventh round of the 2023 USFL Collegiate Draft. During his rookie season, Shelton made three tackles in three games with the Showboats. Last season, he had just one tackle. Despite these not being eye-popping numbers, he earned NFL opportunities after each of the last two spring football seasons. He spent training camp and about a month on the practice squad of the New York Jets in 2023. He re-signed with the Jets during the summer of 2024 but was released after training camp. In Oct. 2024, the Los Angeles Chargers added him to their practice squad but his stint only lasted 10 days.
Before his professional career, Shelton enjoyed a successful run at San Jose State, where he totaled 152 career tackles, 29 passes defended, and eight interceptions over five seasons. He earned back-to-back All-Mountain West Honorable Mention selections to close out his collegiate career.
Meanwhile, Jones IV was a late-season addition for the Arlington Renegades last season but didn’t appear in any games. He totaled 66 career tackles over three seasons (missed the entirety of 2018 with injury and did not see any action in 2020) with Air Force. After graduating in 2021, he completed his two-year military service commitment. Since not being retained by Arlington this offseason, the Showboats have added him to their revamped secondary with only a few returners from last year.
