Coastal Carolina’s Hamilton, Backus sign free agent deals with NFL teams

Coastal Carolina’s two NFL Draft hopefuls both had their stress amplified a little bit Saturday as the seventh and final round passed without their names being called.

But Chad Hamilton and Quinn Backus will nonetheless get their shots to make it onto an NFL roster.

Hamilton, a starter on the Chanticleers’ offensive line for more than three full seasons, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears, and Backus, the three-time reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Year at linebacker, signed with the Houston Texans after the draft.

Reached by phone Saturday night, Hamilton was at a family function back home in James Island and had to keep his thoughts brief, but he summed up his feelings from the day thoroughly nonetheless.

“It just felt like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders,” he said.

Backus said going undrafted wasn’t necessarily a surprise to him, but it’s still motivating.

“I was watching the last few picks and I did get emotional,” he said. “But I knew I would be probably a free agent [signee]. It was just realizing reality had set in.”

Hamilton, who led a dominant line that helped Coastal Carolina reach new offensive heights the last two years, had visited Chicago last week to meet with Bears coaches and decision-makers and was hopeful he’d be taken in one of the draft’s seven rounds. At 6-foot-2, 292 pounds, he is considered undersized for a tackle -- he played left tackle for the Chants -- but gets high marks for being technically sound and is expected to move to an interior line position if he can win a job at the next level.

Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude had said during last season that Hamilton is the most talented offensive lineman he’s ever coached.

Backus, meanwhile, finished second in Big South history with a program-record 414 career tackles (14th in FCS history) and was a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player at the FCS level.

Listed at 5-foot-10, 215 pounds as a senior last season, he too is considered undersized for his position at the next level and will be competing for a spot on special teams with the Texans, he said.

It didn’t hurt that former Coastal Carolina linebackers coach Doug Colman is an assistant coach with the Texans.

“I head down later in the week and I’ve just got to show the doubters what I’m capable of and [have the attitude] I’m second to nobody,” Backus said. “I’m excited for the opportunity. I need to go down to rookie minicamp and earn my spot. I’ve just got to keep fighting and not give them a reason to cut me.”

Coastal Carolina also confirmed that cornerback Denzel Rice will get a look from the Philadelphia Eagles and offensive lineman Joe Kaleta said he is leaving Thursday for the Cleveland Browns’ rookie camp. Rice was a two-year starter for the Chants, while the 6-foot-7, 315-pound Kaleta was a reserve lineman for the team.

This story was originally published May 2, 2015 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Coastal Carolina’s Hamilton, Backus sign free agent deals with NFL teams."