T. J. Carter (defensive lineman)

T. J. Carter (born September 15, 1998) is an American football defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kentucky and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).

For the American football defensive back, see T. J. Carter (defensive back).
T. J. Carter
No. 98 – Los Angeles Rams
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-15) September 15, 1998
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:289 lb (131 kg)
Career information
High school:Whitefield Academy (GA)
College:Kentucky (2016–2019)
Undrafted:2020
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Games played:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and education

Carter was born on September 15, 1998, in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] He attended Whitefield Academy and played football in all four of his years at the school, three as a starter.[2] He played defensive end and offensive tackle, and as a senior was named first-team All-South Region 6-A and first-team All-Cobb County.[2] After graduating, Carter, a two-star recruit,[3] announced his commitment to Kentucky over Wyoming, Samford and Memphis.[2][4]

As a true freshman at Kentucky in 2016, Carter appeared in 11 games and recorded 11 tackles.[5] As a sophomore, he became starter, appearing in all 13 games while posting 18 tackles and three sacks.[5] In his junior season, Carter returned to a backup role, only starting four games, recording 16 tackles.[2] As a senior, he started 12 matches and recorded a total of 26 tackles, along with two sacks.[2] Carter finished his time at Kentucky with 50 games played, 28 as a starter, and 71 tackles, along with six sacks and 12 TFLs.[2] 247Sports ranked him as the 55th best Kentucky player during the Mark Stoops era.[5]

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

After going unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Carter was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent.[6] He was released on July 26.[7]

New Orleans Saints

Near the end of August, Carter was signed by the New Orleans Saints,[8] but was later released on September 5 as part of the final roster cuts.[9]

Pittsburgh Steelers

In April 2021, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[10] He made only one tackle in preaseason, and was released as part of roster cuts on August 28, 2021.[11]

Michigan Panthers

Carter was selected in the 24th round of the 2022 USFL Draft by the Michigan Panthers, the first defensive tackle selected.[12] He appeared in nine games for the Panthers, missing only one, and posted 24 tackles along with 2.5 sacks.[13]

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

After the USFL season ended, Carter was signed back into the NFL by the New Orleans Saints on August 9, 2022, becoming the fourth Panther to receive an NFL contract.[14] He was released six days later.[15]

Los Angeles Rams

On August 16, 2022, Carter was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams.[16] Carter was waived at the Rams' final roster cuts, and was afterwards re-signed as a member of the practice squad.[17] He was elevated to the active roster for their Week 13 game against the Seattle Seahawks, and made his NFL debut in the loss, appearing on six snaps.[18] He signed a reserve/futures contract on January 9, 2023.[19]

References
  1. "T.J. Carter Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. "T.J. Carter". Kentucky Wildcats. 10 August 2017.
  3. Page, Fletcher (September 23, 2016). "Cats' unheralded T.J. Carter shows potential". The Courier-Journal. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. Roberts, Ben (February 4, 2016). "The Cats' class of 2016". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. Gershon, Aaron (July 10, 2022). "Ranking the top 100 players of Stoops era: No. 55 T.J. Carter". 247Sports.
  6. "Former Kentucky Defensive End TJ Carter Signs with Arizona Cardinals". Nation of Blue. April 26, 2020.
  7. McManaman, Bob (July 26, 2020). "Cardinals trim roster to 80 by releasing 10 players, including QB Drew Anderson". The Arizona Republic.
  8. "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". New Orleans Saints. August 29, 2020.
  9. Breech, John (September 6, 2020). "2020 NFL roster cuts tracker: See every cut from all 32 teams after initial rosters trimmed to 53 players". CBS Sports.
  10. Rutter, Joe (April 9, 2021). "Steelers grab another undrafted free agent, sign former Kentucky defensive end TJ Carter". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  11. Saunders, Alan (August 28, 2021). "Steelers Release First-Year DL T.J. Carter". Steelers Now.
  12. Rifino, Patrick (February 25, 2022). "Breaking Down Day Two of the Michigan Panthers 2022 Inaugural Draft". XFL News Hub.
  13. "T.J. Carter Stats". Pro Football Archives.
  14. Rifino, Patrick (August 9, 2022). "Panthers DT TJ Carter To Sign With Saints, Becomes 4th Panther To NFL". USFL News Hub.
  15. Grindley, Wyatt (August 15, 2022). "Saints Make 12 Roster Moves". NFLTradeRumors.co.
  16. DaSilva, Cameron (August 16, 2022). "Rams claim DE T.J. Carter, waive WR Warren Jackson". USA Today.
  17. Jackson, Stu (August 30, 2022). "Analysis: Rams' initial 53-man roster for 2022". Los Angeles Rams.
  18. Rifino, Patrick (December 8, 2022). "Former USFL Player Recap: TJ Carter Makes Rams Debut, Turpin Remains Steady in Cowboys Return Game". USFL News Hub.
  19. @RamsNFL (January 9, 2023). "LA Rams Transactions: • Reserve/Future Contracts TE Roger Carter, DB T.J. Carter, DE T.J. Carter, DB Richard LeCounte, T Max Pircher, WR Jaquarii Roberson, WR Jerreth Sterns, DE Brayden Thomas, DE Zach VanValkenburg" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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