DaMarcus F. Fields (born March 11, 1998) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. 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 ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and 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 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2022.

Early life and education

Fields was born on March 11, 1998, in

Taylor, Texas Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 at the 2010 census; it was 16,267 at the 2020 census. History In 1876, the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipati ...

. He attended Taylor High School, playing two seasons of varsity football as well as basketball and track. He was a 14-4A first-team all-district selection and was named second-team all-Central Texas by the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

''. In his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year, Fields compiled 101

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...

, four

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 eight forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s. Fields committed to

. As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

in 2016, he redshirted and did not play, being a member of the scout team. He became a starter at

in 2017, appearing in all 13 games (11 as a starter). He recorded a total of 51 tackles, placing fifth on the team, and made two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one interception. His fumble recovery total placed first in the conference and 26th nationally. He was named

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

Newcomer of the Week after making an interception return touchdown against

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. Fields started all 12 games as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

in 2018. He recorded a total of 38 tackles, including 2.5 for-loss, as well as 11 passes defended. He ranked second on the team in passes defended and led the school with two fumbles recovered. At the end of the year, he was named honorable mention all-conference by the Big 12 coaches. In 2019, Fields started nine games at cornerback and played in a total of 10, compiling 54 tackles, a mark which placed fifth on Texas Tech. He also had the team lead with five passes broken up and was second with three interceptions made. He was named an honorable mention all-conference selection again that season. As a senior, Fields started six games and made 31 total tackles, as well as one forced fumble, one recovery, and 11 passes broken up. He ranked fourth in the FBS in passes defended per-game and was named honorable mention all-conference by the coaches, as well as fourth-team all-conference by

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, prod ...

's magazine. He elected to return to the team in 2021 as a fifth-year player, as he was given an extra year of eligibility due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In the 2021 season, Fields played in 12 games and made 50 tackles. He also made a team-leading 11 pass breakups and was named second-team all-conference at the end of the year, marking the fourth time he made the team. He was given an opportunity to play in the

East–West Shrine Bowl The East–West Shrine Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game that has been played annually since 1925; through the January 2019 playing, it was known as the East–West Shrine Game. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Shr ...

after the regular season concluded. He was one of three Texas Tech players to be invited to the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

. Fields ended his college career with a total of 224 tackles, 13.5 for-loss, four forced fumbles and four recoveries, four interceptions and 45 total passes defended. He was the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Fields signed with the

as an

following the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

. He was waived on August 30 but re-signed to the

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, ...

the following day. He was elevated to the active roster for their week three game 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 ...

, and made his NFL debut in the match, after which he was reverted back to the practice squad. Fields was signed to the active roster on September 28 but was waived on October 4, 2022.

Washington Commanders

Fields signed with the

Washington Commanders 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) E ...

' practice squad on October 26, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023. On August 28, 2023, he was released as part of final roster cuts before the start of 2023 season.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders bio

Texas Tech Red Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, DaMarcus 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Williamson County, Texas People from Taylor, Texas Texas Tech Red Raiders football players New Orleans Saints players Washington Commanders players American football cornerbacks