Dayarlo Jamal Swearinger Sr. ( ;
born September 1, 1991) 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 ...
strong safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
for the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
. 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 ...
at
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and was drafted by the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
,
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 ...
,
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
,
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
,
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, and
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.
Early years
Swearinger attended
Greenwood High School in
Greenwood, South Carolina, where he played alongside former
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...
college teammate
Kelcy Quarles and Washington Redskins' teammate
Josh Norman
Joshua Ricardo Norman (born December 15, 1987) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Coastal Carolina and was drafted by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and has also played f ...
. A two-way starter for the Greenwood Eagles
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team, he rushed for 400 yards and logged 68 tackles and five interceptions as a sophomore. He had 516 rushing yards and nine touchdowns with 93 tackles and an interception as a junior. As a senior, he rushed for 904 yards and 12
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
and caught 20 passes for 210 yards as a
wide receiver. In addition, he also logged 77
tackles, broke up eight passes and caused two
fumbles as a
strong safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
. He was named second-team All-State selection by
The State
A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...
. He was invited to play at the Shrine Bowl Game of the Carolinas, where he had an interception.
Also a standout in
track & 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 ...
, Swearinger competed in sprints, hurdles and jumps during the off-season as a junior and senior. At the 2009 Regional Meet, he took sixth in the
100-meter dash
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
(10.81s), second in the
110m hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...
(14.56s) and placed first in the
high jump
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
(6-2 or 1.88m).
Regarded as a three-star prospect, Swearinger was considered the 20th-best
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
in the nation and the 14th-best prospect in the state of
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
''. He was also rated as a three-star prospect and the nation's 82nd-best safety according to ''
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
''. He was considered the state's ninth-best player by
SuperPrep, and was named to
PrepStar's All-Atlantic Region squad. Swearinger originally committed to
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and also had an offer from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, among others.
College career
Swearinger received an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of South Carolina, where he played for coach
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...
's
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...
team from 2009 to 2012. During his college career, he started 33 of 52 games in which he appeared, recording 244 tackles, six
interceptions
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
and three
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. Following his senior 2012 season, he was a second-team All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC) selection.
Professional career
Coming out of South Carolina, Swearinger was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 27, 2013, he participated at South Carolina's pro day, along with
Marcus Lattimore,
Devin Taylor,
Ace Sanders,
T. J. Johnson,
Justice Cunningham,
DeVonte Holloman
Christopher DeVonte Holloman (born February 12, 1991) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He attended the University of South Carolina (2009–2012). He was drafted in the 6th r ...
,
Akeem Auguste, and ten other prospects. Team representatives and scouts from 31 NFL teams attended as Swearinger opted to run his 40-yard dash (4.65), 20-yard dash (2.68), and 10-yard dash (1.52) again, while also performing positional drills. He was ranked the fourth best free safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the fourth best safety by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock
Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...
, and was ranked the fifth best safety prospect by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''.
Houston Texans
The
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
selected Swearinger in the second round (57th overall) of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. Swearinger was the fifth safety selected in the 2013 NFL Draft.
2013
On July 22, 2013, the Houston Texans signed Swearinger to a four-year, $3.49 million contract.
He competed with
Ed Reed
Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former football safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, wher ...
and
Shiloh Keo throughout training camp for the job as starting free safety. Head coach
Gary Kubiak named him the third free safety on the Houston Texans' depth chart to begin the regular season.
On August 17, 2013, Swearinger hit
Miami Dolphins' tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
Dustin Keller's right knee, tearing his
ACL,
MCL
The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3) ...
, and
PCL PCL may refer to:
Aviation
*FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, near Pucallpa, Peru (IATA code: PCL)
*Pilot-controlled lighting, a system by which aircraft pilots can control the lighting of runways and taxiways via radio cont ...
, and also dislocating his knee. While some players deemed the hit as "dirty", Swearinger stated that he went low to avoid a fine and the player was not reprimanded by the NFL. Keller was released three days later and never played another down in the NFL.
He made his professional regular season debut in the
Houston Texans' season-opener against the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
and recorded two solo tackles in their 31-28 victory. On October 13, 2013, he recorded two solo tackles and the Texans' starting
strong safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
Danieal Manning was injured with a hairline fracture of his right fibula during a 13-28 loss to the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
. The following week, Swearinger earned his first career start in place of Manning and recorded five solo tackles in a 16-17 loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
. In a Week 10 matchup against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, he recorded three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and caught the first interception of his career, off of a pass attempt by
Carson Palmer during the Texans' 24-27 loss. On December 29, 2013, Swearinger recorded a season-high ten combined tackles in a 10-16 loss to the
Tennessee Titans. After accumulating a 2-11 record, head coach Gary Kubiak was fired. He finished his rookie season with a total of 71 combined tackles (54 solo), made four pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and ten starts.
He was ranked the 71st best safety in the NFL out of 86 for the NFL season.
2014
Swearinger competed with
Eddie Pleasant
Edward Joseph Pleasant (born December 17, 1988) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at Oregon.
Professional career Houston Texans
Pleasant was ...
for the vacant starting strong safety job after Daniel Manning departed during the off season via free agency. New Houston Texans' head coach
Bill O'Brien named Swearinger the starting strong safety to begin the season.
The next preseason, Swearinger was involved in a hit that caused a concussion on
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
wide receiver Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
. On the following play, Broncos' quarterback
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
confronted Swearinger after completing a touchdown pass to
Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third ...
, later resulting in Manning's first fine in his NFL career.
He started the
Houston Texans' season-opener against the
Washington Redskins' and recorded eight combined tackles and his first career sack on
Robert Griffin III during their 17-6 victory. On October 26, 2014, he collected three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by
Tennessee Titans' quarterback
Zach Mettenberger during the Texans' 30-16 victory. The next game, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles, as the Houston Texans lost to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
21-31. He finished the season with a career-high 73 combined tackles (51 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 12 starts and 16 games.
Pro Football Focus ranked him the 78th best safety out of 87 during the 2014 season. Under Defensive Coordinator
Romeo Crennel
Romeo Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is a former American football coach, who was the senior advisor for football performance for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A former long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Cre ...
, he was used as a safety/linebacker hybrid and was primarily used in the box for run support.
2015
On May 11, 2015, the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
released Swearinger. It was reported they had attempting to trade Swearinger the past few weeks, the main cause being his reluctance to play special teams. He was also involved with multiple incidents including a reported theft involving his truck and his dog biting the Houston Texans' first overall pick in the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
,
Jadeveon Clowney (See Personal life).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On May 12, 2015, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
claimed Swearinger off of waivers.
He competed with
Brad McDougald and
Major Wright
Major Wright (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS National Champi ...
for the Buccaneers' starting strong safety position. Head coach
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 to 2016, he served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a ...
named him the backup strong safety to Major Wright to begin the regular season.
Swearinger made his professional regular season debut in the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opening against the
Tennessee Titans and made five combined tackles in their 14-42 loss. On September 27, 2015, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles in a 9-19 loss to his former team, the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. He missed Week 9-10 with a toe injury.
On November 17, 2015, he was waived. During his stint in Tampa Bay, Swearinger was limited to 12 combined tackles (seven solo) in seven games and primarily played on special teams.
Arizona Cardinals
On December 1, 2015, Swearinger was signed to the
Arizona Cardinals' practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
. On December 8, 2015, the Arizona Cardinals promoted him to their active roster with
Tyrann Mathieu out for the season.
On December 10, 2015, he made his Arizona Cardinals' debut during a 23-20 victory over the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
. The following week, he earned his first start of the season. and recorded three combined tackles and defended a pass, as the Cardinals defeated the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
40-17. On December 20, 2015, Swearinger made one tackle and forced
James Starks
James Darell Starks (born February 25, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Buffalo and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a member of their Super Bo ...
to fumble during the 38-8 victory over the
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 ...
. He finished the season with seven solo tackles, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in four games and one start.
2016
On April 18, 2016, the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
signed Swearinger to a one-year, $1.67 million contract.
He entered his first training camp with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and competed with
Tony Jefferson
Tony Lemar Jefferson Jr. (born January 27, 1992) is an American football strong safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma and signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undraft ...
,
Tyvon Branch
Tyvon A. Branch (born December 11, 1986) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft and has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals ...
, and
Marqui Christian
Marqui Christian (born October 27, 1994) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Midwestern State. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and has also played ...
for the job as the starting safety. Head coach
Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
named Tony Jefferson the starting strong safety and Swearinger began the regular season as the backup free safety to
Tyrann Mathieu.
On September 18, 2016, Swearinger recorded a pass deflection and intercepted a pass attempt by
Jameis Winston
Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...
during the Cardinals' 40-7 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. On October 6, 2016, he earned his first start of the season and collected seven combined tackles, deflected a pass, and sacked
San Francisco 49ers' quarterback
Blaine Gabbert in their 33-21 victory. The following week, Swearinger recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...
during a 28-3 routing of the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. During a Week 12 matchup against 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 ...
, he earned a season-high seven combined tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by
Matt Ryan, as the Cardinals lost 19-38. On January 1, 2017, he recorded six solo tackles and sacked
Jared Goff
Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, where he set the Pac-12 Conference season records for passing ...
during a 44-6 win against the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
.
He had a resurgence during the season and finished with 66 combined tackles (58 solo), a career-high eight combined tackles, a career-high three interceptions, and a career-high two sacks in 16 games and 12 starts.
Washington Redskins
2017
On March 9, 2017, the
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 ...
signed Swearinger to a three-year, $13.5 million contract with $9 million guaranteed to a signing bonus of $4 million.
He competed with
Su'a Cravens
Su'a Kristopher Cravens (born July 7, 1995) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Cravens played the linebacker pos ...
,
Will Blackmon
William Edwards Blackmon (born October 27, 1984) is a former American football safety and return specialist. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Pack ...
,
Earl Wolff, and
Montae Nicholson
Montae Nicholson (born December 4, 1995) is an American football free safety for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Hig ...
for the starting free safety job. Head coach
Jay Gruden named Swearinger the starting free safety to begin the season. His teammates voted him the Washington Redskins' defensive captain, although he was a free agent acquisition and was a new member of the team.
Swearinger started the
Washington Redskins' season-opener against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
and made five solo tackle and deflected a pass during their 17-30 loss.
He recorded two interceptions against quarterback
Case Keenum
Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing ...
in the Week 10 game against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
.
2018
Swearinger had an impressive outing in a Week 2 loss against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, intercepting quarterback
Andrew Luck twice to go along with 2 pass deflections. Six weeks later, in a 20-13 win over the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Swearinger had another 2 interception performance, his second of the season. Though Swearinger led the Redskins both in interceptions (four) and passes defended (10), on December 24 he was released from the team following critical comments he made publicly towards the team's defensive coordinator
Greg Manusky.
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
On December 25, 2018, Swearinger was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.
On September 30, 2019, Swearinger was released by the Cardinals after playing every snap through four games.
Oakland Raiders
On November 9, 2019, Swearinger was signed by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. He was released on December 10, 2019.
New Orleans Saints
Swearinger signed with the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
on December 19, 2019.
On April 6, 2020, Swearinger was re-signed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
list by the team on January 2, 2021, and activated on January 11.
Indianapolis Colts
On December 28, 2021, Swearinger was signed to the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
' practice squad.
DC Defenders
Swearinger signed with the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
on April 5, 2023.
References
External links
South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swearinger, D. J.
1991 births
Living people
People from Greenwood, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
American football safeties
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
Arizona Cardinals players
Houston Texans players
Oakland Raiders players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Washington Redskins players
New Orleans Saints players
Indianapolis Colts players
DC Defenders players