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Malik Jefferson

Malik Terrell Jefferson (born November 15, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Texas. As a senior at Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, Jefferson won the 2014 Butkus Award given to the best linebacker in high school.[1] He has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL).

Malik Jefferson
Personal information
Born: (1996-11-15) November 15, 1996 (age 28)
Mesquite, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Poteet (Mesquite, Texas)
College:Texas (2015–2017)
Position:Linebacker
NFL draft:2018 / round: 3 / pick: 78
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:19
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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A native of Mesquite, Texas, Jefferson attended Poteet High School where he played football and baseball and competed in track and field. Playing defensive back as a sophomore in 2012, Jefferson registered 105 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, and four blocked kicks. Helping Poteet to an 11–3 record, including a 5–2 district mark and a UIL playoff berth, Jefferson was named Sophomore of the Year in District 10–4A and earned first-team All-Area honors by the Dallas Morning News. Poteet advanced to the 4A Division 2 quarterfinals, where they lost 21–13 to Daeshon Hall's Lancaster.[2] In his junior year, Jefferson mostly played linebacker and was part of a defense that held nine opponents to 20 points or fewer. He tallied 93 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries, and was chosen Defensive MVP and first-team All-District 10–4A. Jefferson was also an honorable mention on the 4A All-State team by the Associated Press and Texas Sports Writers Association. Poteet finished the season with a 12–2 record, including a 6–1 district mark and an appearance in the 4A Division 2 quarterfinals, where they lost 43–14 to Terence Williams' Ennis.[3] MaxPreps named Jefferson to their 2013 Junior All-American team.[4]

After participating in Nike's 2014 The Opening in Eugene, Oregon,[5] Jefferson started his senior season as preseason Defensive Player of the Year by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. He was credited with 81 tackles on the season, including six sacks and 16 tackles for loss, along with two forced fumbles and four blocked kicks, despite missing more than two games due to injury, along with three other second halves where the starters were removed. Poteet went undefeated 7–0 through its district schedule and finished the season 10–2, but was upset 27–24 in the 5A Division 2 area playoffs by The Colony.[6] Jefferson was named first-team All-American by Parade and USA Today, and also won the High School Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker.[1] After season, he participated in the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game.

Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com,[7][8] either recruiting service also ranked him the No. 1 outside linebacker prospect of his class.[9][10] With offers from every major program in the country, Jefferson narrowed his selection down to Baylor, Louisiana State, Texas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.[11] On December 19, 2014, he committed to play football at University of Texas at Austin, and was labelled as Charlie Strong's “signature recruit.”[12] He was an early enrollee arriving on campus in January 2015.

College career

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Jefferson played as a true freshman at Texas, and was named a Freshman All-American by Sporting News,[13] and USA Today.[14] Jefferson was also awarded as The Big 12 Conference Freshman Defensive Player of the Year for the 2015 season. On December 31, 2017, Jefferson declared his intentions to enter the 2018 NFL draft.[15]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On December 31, 2017, Jefferson released a statement through The Players' Tribune announcing his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2018 NFL draft.[16] Jefferson ignored recommendations from the College Advisory Board to return to college and chose to enter the draft instead. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the three-cone drill and short shuttle. On March 28, 2018, he participated at Texas' pro day and performed the vertical jump (37"), short shuttle, and three-cone drill. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Jefferson was projected to be a second-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the second-best inside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScouts.com and was ranked the eighth-best linebacker by Scouts Inc. and Sports Illustrated.[17][18]

External videos
video icon  Malik Jefferson's Combine Workout
video icon  Malik Jefferson's 40-yard dash
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m) 		236 lb
(107 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.52 s 1.59 s 2.67 s 4.18 s 7.12 s 36 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)		 27 reps
All values from NFL Combine[19]

Cincinnati Bengals

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The Cincinnati Bengals selected Jefferson in the third round (78th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. Jefferson was the 11th linebacker drafted in 2018.[20]

External videos
video icon  Bengals draft Malik Jefferson 78th overall

On June 21, 2018, the Bengals signed Jefferson to a four-year, $3.59 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $923,728.[21] He played in 10 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018 with a foot injury.[22]

Jefferson was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[23]

Cleveland Browns

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Jefferson was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on September 1, 2019.[24] On November 12, 2019, Jefferson was waived by the Browns.[25]

Los Angeles Chargers (first stint)

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On November 25, 2019, Jefferson was signed to the practice squad of the Los Angeles Chargers.[26] He signed a futures contract with the Chargers on December 30, 2019.[27]

On September 5, 2020, Jefferson was waived by the Chargers.[28]

Tennessee Titans

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On September 9, 2020, Jefferson was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad,[29] but was released five days later.[30]

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

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On September 16, 2020, Jefferson was signed to the Chargers practice squad.[31] He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020.[32] On January 1, 2021, Jefferson was placed on injured reserve.[33] He was waived after the season on March 12, 2021.[34]

Indianapolis Colts

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On May 5, 2021, Jefferson signed with the Indianapolis Colts.[35] He was waived on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[36][37] He was promoted to the active roster on December 15.[38] He was waived on January 4, 2022.[39] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022.[40] He was released on May 10, 2022.[41]

Dallas Cowboys

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On July 14, 2022, Jefferson signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[42] On August 30, he was waived and signed to the practice squad the next day.[43][44] On December 14, the Cowboys released him. On December 20, he was signed to the practice squad. On January 30, 2023, he was released.

On February 8, 2023, the Cowboys signed him to a reserve/future contract. He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.[45][46] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired.[47]

Detroit Lions

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On July 27, 2024, Jefferson signed with the Detroit Lions. On August 20, he was placed on injured reserve and later released.[48]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mesquite Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson receives Butkus Award, given to top high school linebacker in nation". Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ^ "Lancaster stops Mesquite Poteet 4 yards shy of the end zone on last play, advances to 4A-II state semis". Dallas Morning News. December 7, 2012.
  3. ^ Hasson, Devin (May 15, 2024). "Frozen Out: Poteet's season comes to an end in regional finals for second straight year". Star Local Media. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "MaxPreps 2013 Football Junior All-American Teams". MaxPreps. January 3, 2014.
  5. ^ LB Malik Jefferson – Poteet (TX) – 2014 Nike The Opening on YouTube
  6. ^ "Second-round Surprise: Late interception preserves The Colony upset of Poteet". Mesquite News. November 22, 2014.
  7. ^ "Rivals.com". sports.yahoo.com.
  8. ^ "Scout.com".
  9. ^ "Rivals.com". sports.yahoo.com.
  10. ^ "Scout.com outside linebackers 2015".
  11. ^ "Malik Jefferson Announcing Friday". Scout.com. December 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "Malik Jefferson gave Charlie Strong his biggest win so far as Texas coach". USA Today. August 13, 2015.
  13. ^ "Sporting News Freshman All-Americans: UCLA's Josh Rosen is nation's best". December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "USA TODAY Sports Freshman All-America team". USA Today.
  15. ^ "Texas star LB Malik Jefferson declares for NFL draft". My San Antonio News. December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  16. ^ Chiari, Mike (December 31, 2017). "Malik Jefferson Declares for 2018 NFL Draft Through The Players' Tribune". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "NFL Malik Jefferson-ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "The 2018 NFL Draft Big Board, Vol. 2". si.com. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  19. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Malik Jefferson". National Football League. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  20. ^ "Cincinnati selects Malik Jefferson in Round 3". CincyJungle.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  21. ^ "Spotrac.com: Malik Jefferson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  22. ^ "Bengals Make Three Player Moves". Bengals.com. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  23. ^ "Bengals Announce 53-Man Roster". Bengals.com. August 31, 2019. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Browns claim 3 players via waivers". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 1, 2019. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "Browns waive LB Malik Jefferson". Browns Wire. USA Today. November 12, 2019.
  26. ^ "Chargers Promote Tevaughn Campbell to Active Roster". Chargers.com. November 25, 2019.
  27. ^ "Chargers Sign Eight Players to Reserve/Future Contracts". Chargers.com. December 30, 2019.
  28. ^ "We've Trimmed Our Roster to 53". Chargers.com. September 5, 2020.
  29. ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Add 16 Players to Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Tennessee Titans. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 14, 2020). "Titans Promote CB Tye Smith to Roster, Place CB Adoree' Jackson on Injured Reserve in a Flurry of Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  31. ^ @Chargers (September 16, 2020). "We've signed Malik Jefferson to our practice squad" (Tweet). Retrieved October 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Announce Roster Moves". Chargers.com. September 26, 2020.
  33. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Make Roster Moves Prior to Sunday's Game". Chargers.com. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  34. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Release Malik Jefferson and Trai Turner". Chargers.com. March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  35. ^ "Colts Sign Free Agent Linebacker Malik Jefferson". Colts.com. May 5, 2021.
  36. ^ "Colts Announce Final 2021 Roster Cuts". Colts.com. August 31, 2021.
  37. ^ "Colts Sign 15 Players To Practice Squad". Colts.com. September 1, 2021.
  38. ^ "Colts Activate LB Malik Jefferson To 53-Man Roster From Practice Squad, Sign S Will Redmond To Practice Squad". Colts.com. December 15, 2021.
  39. ^ "Colts Waive LB Malik Jefferson". Colts.com. January 4, 2022.
  40. ^ "Colts Sign 14 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". Colts.com. January 10, 2022.
  41. ^ "Colts Sign T Dennis Kelly; Release LB Malik Jefferson, T Shon Coleman; Waive TE Farrod Green, TE Eli Wolf". Colts.com. May 10, 2022.
  42. ^ "Cowboys Sign LB Malik Jefferson; Waive Backup RB". DallasCowboys.com. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  43. ^ Eatman, Nick (August 30, 2022). "Cowboys Make 28 Moves To Reach Roster Limit". DallasCowboys.com.
  44. ^ Eatman, Nick (August 31, 2022). "Rush, Grier & Maher Among Practice Squad Signees". DallasCowboys.com.
  45. ^ Harris, Nick (August 29, 2023). "Cowboys announce 36 roster moves ahead of regular season". DallasCowboys.com.
  46. ^ Walker, Patrik (August 30, 2023). "Cowboys move two to IR, reveal 2023 practice squad". DallasCowboys.com.
  47. ^ Fisher, Mike (January 15, 2024). "Cowboys Sign 8 New Contracts, Prepare for 14 Free Agents & 3 Superstar Deals". Sports Illustrated.
  48. ^ "Detroit Lions Transactions". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
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