Dante Antwane Fowler Jr. (born August 3, 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 wi ...
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 formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
for the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
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 at
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Fowler was selected third overall by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
in the
2015 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie season after sustaining an
ACL tear. He would return the following season and played two more seasons for the Jaguars before being traded to the
Los Angeles Rams in 2018. He would later sign with the
Atlanta Falcons in 2020.
High school career
Fowler attended
Lakewood High School in
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, where he was a two-sport star in
football and track. Fowler was named an honorable mention to the Sports Illustrated All-American football team following his senior season, and was selected to the 2012
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on Januar ...
. In
track, Fowler competed as a
shot putter
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...
, recording a top throw of 14.32 meters (47 ft).
College career
As a freshman at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 2012, Fowler moved to the outside linebacker position. Fowler played in all 13 games and started his first game against
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
. He recorded 30 tackles, including eight for loss, and 2.5
sacks. He was named to numerous freshman all-American teams. In 2013, Fowler started all 13 games for the Gators and was named a team captain for the two final games of the season. He recorded 50 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. In 2014, he slimmed down from 277 to 261 pounds, in an effort to be a more explosive edge player for the Gators. He recorded 60 tackles, including 15 for loss, 8.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, and was named a first-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 o ...
selection by the conference's coaches. In his final game, the
2015 Birmingham Bowl vs
East Carolina, he recorded three sacks helping the Gators to the 28-20 victory.
On November 19, 2014, Fowler tweeted that he would leave the school with
Will Muschamp
William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...
, who announced he would step down as head coach. Fowler made his intentions to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the
2015 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
2015 season
Fowler was selected third overall by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
in the
2015 NFL Draft. On May 8, 2015, Fowler tore his
ACL on the first day of mini-camp and missed the entirety of his rookie season. On May 12, four days after tearing his ACL, Fowler signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $23.5 million contract, with a $15.3 million signing bonus.
2016 season
After missing his entire rookie year due to his ACL injury, Fowler made his NFL debut on September 11, 2016, in the game against the
Green Bay Packers, where he made three tackles (one for a loss) as the Jaguars lost the game 27–23.
Fowler ended his first official season playing in all 16 games with one start, recording 32 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and five passes defensed.
2017 season
On September 10, 2017, in the 29–7 season-opening road victory over the
Houston Texans, Fowler had a stellar game. He had a 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown near the end of the first half. The touchdown was the first of his NFL career. Late in the third quarter, Fowler forced a fumble off of quarterback
Deshaun Watson
Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, where he led the team to a national championship in 2 ...
, which was recovered by teammate
Yannick Ngakoue
Yannick Nicolas Ngakoue ( ; born March 31, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland Terrapins football, Maryland and was drafted by the J ...
.
The Jaguars finished atop the
AFC South
The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned d ...
with a 10-6 record. In the playoffs, Fowler recorded five tackles, two sacks, and a pass deflection before the Jaguars were defeated 24-20 by the
New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
2018 season
On May 2, 2018, the Jaguars declined the fifth-year option on Fowler's contract. On July 20, 2018, he was suspended for one game due to violating the league's personal conduct policy.
In December 2019, the NFLPA revealed that it had won a grievance filed on Fowler's behalf alleging that the Jaguars had improperly fined Fowler over $700,000 for not attending rehab and medical appointments in Jacksonville during the 2018 offseason. Under the collective bargaining agreement, these appointments should have been voluntary. This incident reportedly led to the firing of Jaguars football operations chief
Tom Coughlin
Thomas Richard Coughlin ( ; born August 31, 1946) is a former American football coach and executive. He was the head coach for the New York Giants from 2004 to 2015. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, both time ...
.
Los Angeles Rams
2018 season
![Dante Fowler 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Dante_Fowler_2019.png)
On October 30, 2018, Fowler was traded to the
Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a compensatory third-round selection (
Quincy Williams) in the
2019 NFL Draft and a fifth-round selection in the
2020 NFL Draft, which ended up being used to select
Collin Johnson
Collin Johnson (born September 23, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas. He is the son of College Football Hall of Fame cornerback Joh ...
. Due to a change to the 3-4 defense, Fowler moved to outside linebacker with the Rams. In 8 games of 2018, Fowler finished with 21 tackles, 2 sacks, a pass defended, and a forced fumble. In the playoffs, the Rams defeated the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
in the Divisional Round and Fowler recorded 2 tackles and a sack. In the
NFC Championship Game against 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 ...
, Fowler recorded 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks in a 26-23 overtime victory to advance to
Super Bowl LIII and Fowler made a huge play in overtime when he hit
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees i ...
to set up an interception by
John Johnson III. The Rams played the
New England Patriots in the Super Bowl but lost 13-3. Fowler recorded 4 tackles in the loss.
2019 season
On March 11, 2019, Fowler signed a one-year, $14 million contract extension with the Rams.
In the season-opener 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. ...
, Fowler sacked
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
twice as the Rams won on the road by a score of 30-27. During Week 7 against the
Atlanta Falcons, he sacked
Matt Ryan thrice in the 37-10 road victory. Three weeks later against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Fowler recovered a fumbled snap by center
Maurkice Pouncey
LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Nat ...
and returned it for a 26 yard touchdown in the 17–12 road loss. During Week 16 against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, he sacked
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
2.5 times during a 34–31 road loss.
Atlanta Falcons
On March 25, 2020, Fowler signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the
Atlanta Falcons. 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 identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
list by the team on November 14, 2020, and activated on November 25.
On October 22, 2021, Fowler was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. On November 14, 2021, Fowler was activated from IR in time to be active for week 10 game versus
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
. He was released on February 16, 2022.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 18, 2022, Fowler signed a one-year contract with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
On July 18, 2017, Fowler was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida for simple battery and committing mischief. Fowler confronted a man who commented about his driving, struck the man, broke his glasses, and threw a bag containing liquor into a lake. He was released from jail the next day on a $650 bond. On March 1, 2018, Fowler pleaded no contest to battery, criminal mischief, and petty theft. He was fined $2,575, received a year of probation, and was ordered to undergo 75 hours of
community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...
.
His younger brother, Donterio Rashad Fowler, was arrested in July 2021 in connection to the 2016 murder of a
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...
student.
References
External links
Los Angeles Rams bioJacksonville Jaguars bioFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Dante
1994 births
Living people
Players of American football from St. Petersburg, Florida
Under Armour All-American football players
American football defensive ends
American football outside linebackers
Florida Gators football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Los Angeles Rams players
Atlanta Falcons players
Dallas Cowboys players