Duke Dawson (born October 13, 1995) 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 ...

for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

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 ...

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 ...

Early years

Dawson is from

Cross City, Florida Cross City is a town in and the county seat of Dixie County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2010 census. Geography Cross City is located at (29.6806, –83.0897). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town ...

, and went to

Dixie County High School Dixie County Middle High School is located at 17924 SE 19 HWY in Cross City, Florida, United States. It is a part of Dixie District Schools, which serves Dixie County. The school changed its name in 2021 from Dixie County High School, due to t ...

there.

College career

Despite speculation that he would forgo his senior season and declare for 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 ...

, Dawson later announced that he would return to Florida for his senior year. During his senior season, he defended 13 passes, leading the Gators and tying for third in the SEC. His accomplishments lead him to be selected for the Coaches All-SEC First-team.

Professional career

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots selected Dawson in the second round with the 56th overall pick of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

. On September 6, 2018, Dawson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. On November 13, 2018, the Patriots activated Dawson off of injured reserve. Despite being taken off injured reserve Dawson was inactive for the rest of the season. He did not appear in a single game. The Patriots would go on to reach and win

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

where they beat 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 ...

13-3.

Denver Broncos

On August 30, 2019, Dawson and a seventh-round pick were traded to the

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 ...

for a sixth-round pick. In Week 14 of the 2020 season, Dawson suffered a torn ACL, and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 16, 2020. On September 1, 2021, Dawson was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. He was activated on November 8, then waived and re-signed to the practice squad. His contract expired when the teams season ended on January 8, 2022.

Carolina Panthers

On July 29, 2022, Dawson signed with 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 ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on August 23. He was waived on August 25, 2022.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On October 12, 2022, Dawson was signed to the

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2023.

References

External links

Player profile
at Patriots.com
Prospect profile
at NFL.com
Collegiate profile
at FloridaGators.com * 1995 births Living people People from Dixie County, Florida Players of American football from Florida American football cornerbacks Florida Gators football players New England Patriots players Denver Broncos players Carolina Panthers players Pittsburgh Steelers players {{Defensiveback-1990s-stub