Justin Rogers (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs. 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 Southern Methodist University.

Early years

Rogers grew up in Commerce, Texas and attended Commerce High School. He was a two-time All-district selection. He contributed to the team winning the 3A state championship in 1999 and 2001. He also practiced baseball, basketball and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He was an All-district selection in baseball as a senior.

College career

Rogers accepted a football scholarship from Southern Methodist University. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 12 games (2 starts) as a backup defensive end, making 34 tackles. As a sophomore, he started 9 games at defensive end, registering 27 tackles (5.5 for loss) and tying the team lead with 2.5 sacks. As a junior, he led the conference in sacks (7) and ranked in the top 10 in tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles. He posted 64 tackles (10.5 for loss) and 3 forced fumbles. His senior season was cut short with a neck injury, but he still was able to lead the team with 9.5 sacks. He also had 59 tackles (15 for loss). Rogers finished his college career after starting 33 out of 43 games, while recording 184 tackles (32 for loss), 19.5 sacks (second in school history), 5 forced fumbles, and one blocked kick.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Rogers was selected by the

in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft, with the intention of converting him into an

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He became the first Mustang drafted by an NFL team since Kevin Garrett in 2003. He was waived by the Patriots during final cuts on September 1.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 2, 2007, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys. He played in all 16 games primarily on special teams. He finished the season with 16 special teams tackles (fifth on the team) as well as three tackles on defense. In 2008, Rogers played in 15 games, finishing third on the team with 18 special teams tackles. He missed time in the 2009 training camp with tendinitis in his knee. On August 2, he was waived/injured and subsequently reverted to the injured reserve list. He was released on August 27.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 14, 2009, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was waived three days later, and re-signed on October 20. He appeared in one game and was declared inactive in five games. He was placed on the injured reserve list with a thigh injury on December 26. He was waived on February 8, 2010.

References

External links

Former Mustang football player experiencing NFL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Justin 1983 births Living people People from Penngrove, California People from Commerce, Texas Players of American football from Sonoma County, California Players of American football from Hunt County, Texas American football defensive ends American football linebackers SMU Mustangs football players New England Patriots players Dallas Cowboys players Kansas City Chiefs players