Eric Cumberbatch (born October 8, 2002) is a Canadian professional football defensive back. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played U Sports football at Ottawa.
Early life
Eric Cumberbatch was born on October 8, 2002.[1] He played youth football for the Orleans Minor Football Association in Orleans, Ontario, and for the Cornwall Wildcats of the National Capital Amateur Football Association.[2][3] For high school, he attended École secondaire catholique Le Relais in Alexandria, Ontario.[1]
University career
Cumberbatch played U Sports football for the Ottawa Gee-Gees of the University of Ottawa from 2021 to 2024.[2] As a true freshman in 2021, he started all six regular season games at defensive halfback, totaling 11 solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, and two pass breakups.[2] He also started both playoff games that year, posting 4.5 tackles in the OUA East Final.[2] Cumberbatch appeared in eight games in 2022, recording 16 solo tackles, 18 assisted tackles, and seven pass breakups, earning second-team OUA all-star honors.[2][4] He played in eight games for the second straight year in 2023, totaling 23 solo tackles, 19 assisted tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and one sack.[2] For his performance during the 2023 season, he was named a first-team All-Canadian and a first-team OUA all-star.[5][4] Cumberbatch only played in four games his senior year in 2024, recording seven solo tackles, seven assisted tackles, one interception, two pass breakups, one sack, and one fumble recovery for 57 yards.[2] He majored in human kinetics at Ottawa.[2] He played his last three years at Ottawa with his twin brother Patrick.[6][2]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
202 lb (92 kg) |
4.51 s | 4.31 s | 7.12 s | 39.0 in (0.99 m) |
11 ft 2+3⁄8 in (3.41 m) |
14 reps | |||||
| All values from CFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
Cumberbatch attended the 2025 CFL Combine, and had the best broad jump with a jump of eleven feet and two-and-three-eights inches.[4] On April 29, 2025, he was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks in the fifth round, with the 42nd overall pick, of the 2025 CFL draft.[1] He attended rookie minicamp on a tryout basis with New Orleans Saints in May 2025 but was not signed.[8][5] He then officially signed with the Redblacks on May 11, 2025.[9] He was moved to the practice roster on July 19, and promoted back to the active roster on August 18, 2025.[9] He played in 11 regular season games where he had one defensive tackle and one special teams tackle.[10]
Cumberbatch started the 2026 season on the practice roster.[10] After one game, he was released on June 15, 2026.[11]
Personal life
Cumberbatch speaks French.[6]
References
- ^ a b c “Eric Cumberbatch”. Pro Football Archives. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i “Eric Cumberbatch”. University of Ottawa. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ “An Ottawa centric journey to the pros for RedBlacks draft pick”. CBC.ca. May 2, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b c “Ottawa DB Eric Cumberbatch wins broad jump at 2025 CFL Combine”. 3DownNation.com. March 21, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Dunk, Justin (April 27, 2025). “Canadian DB Eric Cumberbatch accepts NFL rookie mini-camp invite from New Orleans Saints”. 3DownNation.com. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Paquette, Julien (June 21, 2025). “Un Ontarien au sein d’une «French Mafia» réincarnée”. Le Droit. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ “Eric Cumberbatch CFL Combine Results”. CFL.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
- ^ Comtois, Martin (April 29, 2025). “Un Franco-Ontarien des Gee-Gees dans la mire de la LCF… et de la NFL”. Ici Radio-Canada. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b “Ottawa RedBlacks Transactions – 2025”. FootballDB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b “Eric Cumberbatch”. Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
- ^ “Ottawa Redblacks cut local product Eric Cumberbatch, sign one”. 3DownNation.com. Retrieved June 16, 2026.