Bennie Fowler

Bennie Fowler III (born June 10, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

Early life Fowler attended Detroit Country Day School, where he was named to SuperPrep and PrepStar's All-Midwest Teams. He was also listed among the Midwest's top prospects by SuperPrep at No. 72, he was also rated among the nations top wide receivers by Scouts, Inc. at No. 80. He was also ranked among the state's top seniors by the Lansing State Journal at No. 15 overall, Rivals.com at No. 15 also, The Detroit News at No. 16, and the Detroit Free Press at No. 16. He was also named to the Detroit Free Press All-State Division 4 Team. He was also named All-State honorable mention as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press. He was also selected to the All-County Dream Team by The Oakland Press and All-North Team by The Detroit News.

As a freshman in 2009, Fowler redshirted with a stress fracture in his foot. As a redshirt freshman, in 2010, he appeared in all 13 games and finished sixth on the team with 573 all-purpose yards. He recorded 14 receptions for 175 yards, and carried the ball seven times for 62 yards. He also returned 15 kickoffs for 336 yards. His return yards ranked second on the team behind Keshawn Martin. Fowler also recorded a career best 161 all-purpose yards against No. 15 Alabama in the 2011 Capital One Bowl. As a redshirt sophomore in 2011, he appeared in just five games due to a foot injury. He recorded two receptions for 20 yards and one carry for six yards. As a redshirt junior in 2012, he led the team with 524 receiving yards and four touchdowns and ranked second with 41 receptions. He also tied for the lead the team with seven receptions of 20-plus yards. As a redshirt senior in 2013, he again led the team in receiving yards, with 622 yards, and touchdowns, with six. He also ranked third on the team with 36 receptions. He finished second on the team with 10 receptions for 20-plus yards. Fowler's six touchdowns ranked sixth in the Big Ten in 2013.

Denver Broncos 2014 season On May 10, 2014, the Denver Broncos signed Fowler as an undrafted free agent to a one-year, $114,000 contract. On August 30, 2014, he was waived by the Broncos as part of their final roster cuts. On August 31, 2014, he was signed to the practice squad.

2015 season

On January 15, 2015, the Denver Broncos signed Fowler to a one-year, $550,000 reserve/future contract. Notably, this would be the final pass of Manning's career.

On April 15, 2016, Fowler re-signed with the Broncos.

2016 season Fowler appeared in 13 games and recorded 11 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the 2016 season.

2017 season On September 11, 2017, in the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, Fowler recorded a career-high two receiving touchdowns. He finished the season with a career-high 29 receptions for 350 yards and three touchdowns.

Chicago Bears On April 13, 2018, Fowler signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears. He was released on September 1, 2018, as part of final roster cuts.

New England Patriots On September 11, 2018, Fowler was signed by the New England Patriots, but was released four days later.

New York Giants On October 16, 2018, Fowler was signed by the New York Giants. He scored his first touchdown with the Giants in Week 14 against the Washington Redskins in a 40–16 victory. In the 2018 season, Fowler finished with 16 receptions for 199 receiving yards and one touchdown in ten games and five starts.

On March 19, 2019, Fowler re-signed with the Giants. He was released on October 1, 2019, as fellow wide receiver Golden Tate was activated following suspension. He was re-signed on October 14, 2019. He was released on November 26. In the 2019 season, Fowler finished with 23 receptions for 193 receiving yards in eight games and two starts.

New Orleans Saints Fowler signed with the New Orleans Saints on August 3, 2020. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 12 in advance of the week 1 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He recovered a muffed kickoff lost by Mike Edwards in the game, and reverted to the practice squad the day after. He was elevated again on September 21 for the week 2 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and reverted to the practice squad again following the game. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on October 23, 2020, after undergoing shoulder surgery. He appeared in five games in the 2020 season.

San Francisco 49ers On May 21, 2021, Fowler signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He was released on July 31, 2021.

NFL career statistics Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles 2015 DEN 16 1 25 16 203 12.7 41 0 0 0 2016 DEN 13 0 24 11 145 13.2 76 2 0 0 2017 DEN 16 4 56 29 350 12.1 29 3 1 0 2018 NYG 10 5 27 16 199 12.4 26 1 1 0 2019 NYG 8 2 36 23 193 8.4 17 0 0 0 2020 NO 5 0 6 2 11 5.5 7 0 0 0 Career 68 12 174 97 1,101 11.4 76 6 2 0

Personal life Bennie Fowler is the son of Bennie Fowler Jr. and Teresa Gueyser. He has a younger brother, Chris Fowler, who played basketball at Central Michigan University. He also has a younger sister who played volleyball at Florida Southern. He is also longtime friends with Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green, who also attended Michigan State.

On April 10, 2025, it was announced that Fowler would be joining the DNVR Broncos podcast following the departure of previous host Todd Davis to join the Broncos' coaching staff.