Justin Ikeem Staples (born December 10, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Illinois. He has been a member of the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans.

Justin Staples
refer to caption
Staples with the Browns in 2014
Personal information
Born: (1989-12-10) December 10, 1989 (age 34)
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Lakewood (OH) St. Edward
College:Illinois
Position:Linebacker
Undrafted:2013
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:9
Pass deflections:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years edit

Staples played high school football at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.[1] He was named to the Cleveland Plain Dealer All-State team as a linebacker his senior year, recording 92 tackles, seven sacks, one interception, 11 pass break-ups, six forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles. He was also picked for the Big 33 Football Classic, which at the time featured the best Pennsylvania and Ohio seniors.[2]

College career edit

Staples played for the Illinois Fighting Illini from 2009 to 2012. He was redshirted in 2008.[2] He played 48 games as a defensive end for the Illini, recording 62 career tackles, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.[3][4] He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity[5]

Professional career edit

Staples was rated the 79th best defensive end in the 2013 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[6]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)
242 lb
(110 kg)
4.79 s 1.65 s 2.82 s 4.48 s 7.03 s 33+12 in
(0.85 m)
10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)
21 reps
All values from Illinois Pro Day[6]

Cleveland Browns edit

Staples signed with the Cleveland Browns in April 2013 after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft.[7] He was released by the Browns on August 31 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 25, 2013. He signed a futures contract with the Browns on December 30, 2103. He was released by the Browns on September 9, 2014.[8]

Tennessee Titans edit

Staples was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad on September 16, 2014. He was promoted to the active roster on November 20 and made his NFL debut on November 23, 2014 against the Philadelphia Eagles, recording one tackle.[8][9] He was released by the Titans on September 6, 2015 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 8, 2015.[10][11] Staples was promoted to the active roster on October 17, 2015.[11]

On September 2, 2016, Staples was released by the Titans as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[12][13] He was promoted to the active roster on December 5, 2016.[14]

On September 2, 2017, Staples was released by the Titans.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ Doerschuk , Steve (August 10, 2013). "St. Edward grad Justin Staples hopes to make team as undrafted free agent". cantonrep.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Justin Staples". fightingillini.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  3. ^ "Justin Staples". titansonline.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Justin Staples". clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "University of Illinois Fraternities & Sororities". facebook.com. April 29, 2013. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b "Justin Staples". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Former Illini Justin Staples Trying to Make It on Browns". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Justin Staples". kffl.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Justin Staples". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  10. ^ Patra, Kevin (September 6, 2015). "Titans acquire Terrance West; place David Cobb on IR". nfl.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ a b "JUSTIN STAPLES". foxsports.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 2, 2016). "Titans Down to 53 Players: A Position-by-Position Look". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 4, 2016). "Titans Sign Nine Players to Practice Squad". titansonline.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ Morris, Jimmy (December 5, 2016). "Titans place rookie LB Kevin Dodd on IR; Promote Justin Staples from practice squad". MusicCityMiracle.com.
  15. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 2, 2017). "Titans Down to 53 Players: A Position-by-Position Look". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.

External links edit