Chris Odom (born September 16, 1994) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage l ...

. Odom has also been a member of the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Salt Lake Stallions The Salt Lake Stallions were a professional American football franchise based in Salt Lake City, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began play in February 2019. The Stallions were the northernmost team in ...

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

, and

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...

. With the Gamblers, he led the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

in sacks and was named its Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

Early years

Odom played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Martin High School in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

. He recorded 32 tackles his senior year, earning all-district honors as a

. He also participated in the school's

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

program.

College career

Odom played for the

Arkansas State Red Wolves The Arkansas State Red Wolves are the athletic teams of Arkansas State University. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference in all sports except women's bowling, a sport not sponsored by that league, competing at the National Collegiate Athleti ...

from 2013 to 2016. He played in all 13 games in 2013, recording 8 solo tackles, 9 tackle assists and 3 sacks. He played in all 13 games, starting 3, in 2014, totaling 12 solo tackles, 2 tackle assists, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups and 1 blocked kick. Odom played in 11 games in 2015, recording 1 solo tackles, 2 tackle assists and 3 blocked kicks. His three blocked kicks were tied for the third most in school history for a single season. He played in all 13 games in 2016, totaling 28 solo tackles, 25 tackle assists, 12.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles and 1 blocked kick, earning First-team All-

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...

honors. Odom participated in the

College Gridiron Showcase The College Gridiron Showcase (CGS) is an independently operated annual post-season college football event hosted each January in Fort Worth, Texas. The event consists of NFL draft prospects who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division I ...

in January 2017. His five career blocked kicks were the second most in school history. He majored in Sport Management at Arkansas State.

Professional career

Odom was rated the 41st best defensive end in the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

by NFLDraftScout.com.

Atlanta Falcons

After going undrafted, Odom signed with the

on May 1, 2017. He was waived by the Falcons on September 2, 2017.

Green Bay Packers

Odom was claimed off waivers by the

on September 3, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Odom was waived by the Packers.

Salt Lake Stallions

In late 2018, Odom joined the

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

. Odom recorded 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 8 QB hits, and 2 pass knockdowns during his time in the AAF.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On April 15, 2019, Odom signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

Washington Redskins

Odom signed with the

' practice squad on September 2, 2019. He was released on October 8, 2019. He was re-signed on November 20. He was promoted to the active roster on November 30, 2019. In week 13 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

, Odom sacked quarterback

Kyle Allen Kyle Allen (born March 8, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, he played high school football at Desert Mountain and was among the top football ...

twice, one of which was a strip sack which was recovered by teammate

Nate Orchard Nathaniel Fakahafua Orchard (born Napa'a Lilo Fakahafua on January 5, 1993) is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2015 N ...

late in the fourth quarter to seal a 29–21 win. Odom finished the season with 10 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble in only 47 defensive snaps. He was released in February 2020.

Calgary Stampeders

Odom signed with the

of the CFL on February 2, 2021. Odom made the practice roster and did dress for three games for Calgary, but was ultimately released on November 29, 2021.

Houston Gamblers

Odom was drafted by the

in the second round (12th overall) of the

2022 USFL Draft The 2022 USFL Draft, also known as the 2022 USFL Player Selection Meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released throug ...

Cleveland Browns

Odom was signed by the

on August 5, 2022. He was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on August 29, 2022.

Career statistics

Personal life

Odom's father,

Cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

, also played in the NFL and was drafted by Odom’s current team the

in the 3rd round of the 1980 Draft.

References

External links

College stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odom, Chris Living people 1994 births African-American players of American football American football defensive ends American football linebackers Arkansas State Red Wolves football players Atlanta Falcons players Washington Redskins players Green Bay Packers players Players of American football from Texas Salt Lake Stallions players Sportspeople from Arlington, Texas Calgary Stampeders players 21st-century African-American sportspeople Houston Gamblers (2022) players Cleveland Browns players