| No. 43 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||
Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | July 9, 2004 | ||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Gulliver Prep (Coral Gables, Florida) | ||||||||||
| College | West Virginia (2022–2024) Ohio State (2025) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2026 | |||||||||||
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De'Carlo "CJ" Donaldson Jr. (born July 9, 2004) is an American professional football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints in 2026.
Donaldson grew up in Miami, Florida and attended Gulliver Preparatory School, where he played wide receiver on the football team. As a senior, he caught 81 passes for 1,164 yards and 13 touchdowns. Donaldson was rated a three-star recruit and initially committed to play college football Tulane. He later de-committed and signed to play at West Virginia over offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Carolina, Louisville, Indiana, and Syracuse.
Donaldson was recruited by West Virginia to play tight end. He was moved to running back during preseason training camp. Donaldson was named the Mountaineers' starting running back going into his freshman season. He was named the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for week 1 after rushing for 125 yards and one touchdown on seven carries and also blocking a kick on special teams in a 38–31 loss to Pittsburgh.
On December 19, 2024, Donaldson announced that he would enter the transfer portal.
On December 23, 2024, Donaldson committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 7+1⁄4 in (2.01 m) | 4.63 s | 1.63 s | 2.69 s | 4.53 s | 7.22 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 14 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft, Donaldson signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. On August 30, 2026, Donaldson was waived by the Saints as a part of final roster cuts; he was re–signed to the team's practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 18.