Braves sign former NFL player Commings

As Spring Training gets underway, Tim Tebow will not be the only one playing baseball who also sports an NFL resume.
On Thursday, the Braves signed former Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Sanders Commings to a Minor League deal. The 26-year-old hopes to break in as an outfielder, but has not appeared in a competitive baseball game since 2008 with Westside High School in Augusta, Georgia.

Commings was originally drafted by the D-backs in the 37th round in 2008, but opted to attend the University of Georgia and play football. The Chiefs selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but his career was cut short by injuries. The Georgia native's rookie season ended early due to a broken collarbone and shoulder inflammation, then he missed all of 2014 after fracturing his fibula in practice. He had appeared in just two games when the Chiefs waived him in December 2015.
Despite spending nearly a decade away from baseball, Commings' comeback attempt drew the Braves' interest due to his impressive athleticism.
"We feel this is a tremendous athlete," Atlanta GM John Coppolella told MLB.com's Mark Bowman. "Our mantra has always been to leave no stone unturned. What's the downside here?"
Former big league outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr., whose cousin, Charles, is serving as Commings' agent, has been helping train the ex-cornerback and he has liked what he's seen.
"He's strong, he's got pop, he's just a tremendous athlete -- you just don't find that," Hairston told MLB.com. "You never know how a guy will react in Double-A or Triple-A. But he is worth the gamble, I can tell you that.
"When I saw him, I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I knew then he had a great swing. It's not complicated, it's fundamentally sound, so I just started to train him. We've been at it for quite some time."
The Braves have a history of landing players with an NFL pedigree. Cornerback Deion Sanders spent parts of four seasons from 1991-94 with the club as an outfielder while starring for the Atlanta Falcons. Brian Jordan, another former Falcon, signed as an outfielder in 1998 after a three-year career as a safety.
Commings' signing came nearly six months after Tebow inked a Minor League deal as an outfielder with the Mets. The 29-year-old returned to baseball in 2016 after retiring from the NFL following three seasons with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.