Clifton Geathers (born December 11, 1987) is an American former professional football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of South Carolina.

Clifton Geathers
refer to caption
Geathers in 2015
No. 62, 66, 96, 90, 94
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1987-12-11) December 11, 1987 (age 37)
Georgetown, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight:281 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:Carvers Bay
(Hemingway, South Carolina)
College:South Carolina
NFL draft:2010 / round: 6 / pick: 186
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:24
Sacks:1.0
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Geathers attended Carvers Bay High School. He enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy as a senior.

Although he originally intended to join the University of Georgia, he decommitted and accepted instead a football scholarship from the University of South Carolina. As a freshman, he was a backup defensive tackle, tallying 2 tackles in one game against South Carolina State University. He did not play in the season finale against Clemson University.

As a sophomore, he appeared in 13 games (one start) and recorded 29 tackles (17 solo). His first career start came against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he had 5 tackles (one for loss) and one quarterback hurry.

As a junior, he appeared in 12 games, posting 41 tackles (8.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He declared for the NFL draft before his senior season.[1] He finished his college career with 36 games, 72 tackles (12 tackles for loss), 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Professional career

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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 7+12 in
(2.02 m)
299 lb
(136 kg)
37+34 in
(0.96 m)
11+18 in
(0.28 m)
4.98 s 1.75 s 2.90 s 4.72 s 7.20 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)
26 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day.[2][3]

Cleveland Browns

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Geathers was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft.[4][5] He was released on September 4.

Miami Dolphins

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On September 5, 2010, Geathers was awarded to the Miami Dolphins on waiver claims.[6] On November 26, he was waived to make room for Chris Baker.[7]

Seattle Seahawks

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On November 27, 2010, Geathers was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks.[8] He was released on December 7.

Dallas Cowboys

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On December 8, 2010, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys.[9] He appeared in one game and was declared inactive for three others.

In 2011, he played in five games as a backup defensive tackle, making 2 tackles and 3 quarterback pressures. He was released on August 31, 2012.

Indianapolis Colts

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On October 3, 2012, Geathers was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. He would replace former Baylor nose tackle Nicolas Jean-Baptiste. He would spend 4 days total on Indianapolis' practice squad before being elevated to the active roster due to an injury to Colts' defensive end, Fili Moala. He recorded a sack against the Houston Texans on December 30. He had five tackles and his first career sack during the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

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Geathers (#90 on right) pursuing Robert Griffin III in 2013.

On March 28, 2013, the Philadelphia Eagles traded fullback Stanley Havili in exchange for Geathers.[10] He played in 16 games for the first time in his career. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Washington Redskins

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On March 13, 2014, Geathers signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Washington Redskins.[11] He appeared in six games and made 6 tackles. He was released on November 1, 2014.[12]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On December 1, 2014, he signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent, following an injury to Brett Keisel.[13] He was a game-day inactive for each of the 5 (4 regular season and 1 postseason) games he was on the Steelers roster.

Geathers signed another one-year contract with the Steelers on April 1, 2015.[14] On August 7, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve.[15]

Personal life

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His brother Robert Geathers Jr., was a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals. His uncle, Jumpy Geathers, played defensive end in the NFL. Clifton's father, Robert Geathers Sr., was a third-round pick in the 1981 NFL draft, but an injury ended his career. His younger brother, Kwame Geathers, played college football at The University of Georgia and was a nose tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. His cousin Clayton Geathers plays defensive back for the Indianapolis Colts.

References

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  1. ^ "South Carolina DE Clifton Geathers Headed to the NFL". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "Clifton Geathers Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "2010 NFL Draft Scout Clifton Geathers College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Cleveland Browns take South Carolina Clifton Geathers in sixth round of NFL Draft 2010". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "Dolphins' Will Allen put on IR". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Brandon Marshall misses practice again". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "Seahawks put Anthony McCoy on IR". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Cowboys claim DE Clifton Geathers". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Colts acquire fullback Stanley Havili". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Washington Redskins add Clifton Geathers". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Florio, Mike. "Washington dumps Clifton Geathers". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Season over for Steelers' Brett Keisel". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  14. ^ Gantt, Darin (April 1, 2015). "Steelers bring back defensive end Clifton Geathers for a year". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Steelers make roster moves". Steelers.com. August 7, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
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