Former Rams WR Stedman Bailey participates in NFL pro day 2 years after being shot

It’s been a long time since former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey has stepped onto a football field. Bailey’s last NFL game was in 2015 and his career was cut short after he was shot twice in the head in an incident in Miami Gardens, Florida in November of that same year.

Bailey’s injuries were not considered life-threatening but put his football career in jeopardy. However, just over two years later, the former West Virginia University standout is giving it another try.

On Wednesday, the veteran wide receiver was participating in Marshall University’s Pro Day, according to Grant Taylor of The Herald-Dispatch Times. Bailey ran the 40-yard dash and ran routes with Marshall quarterback Chase Litton.

The 27-year-old wideout isn’t giving up on his dreams of playing again in the NFL. He has a lot to prove not only to prospective teams but to himself.

“I know a lot of teams probably remember me and what type of player I was at the time,” Bailey said. “I’m trying to prove that I am still that guy and probably even better. It’s all about proving it and capitalizing on the opportunities that are given to me.”

Bailey had a stellar three-year career at West Virginia. He recorded 210 receptions for 3,218 yards and 41 touchdowns. His junior year would be his coming out party as he posted a ridiculous stat line of 114 receptions for 1,622 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He was the ultimate playmaker for the Mountaineers and the Rams took notice of that and drafted him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. However, Bailey’s collegiate production didn’t live up to his NFL expectations as he only had 59 receptions (96 targets) for 843 yards and two touchdowns in 38 games.

Bailey is facing an uphill to be signed as a free agent when the new league year opens next week. Additionally, Taylor notes that Bailey is thinking about participating in Toledo’s Pro Day on March 19 and if he is not signed, he will go back to his alma mater for their Pro Day on March 29.

It should be interesting to see where Bailey’s journey takes him next as he tries to make his way back to the NFL.