Kentrell Montez Brice
(born August 11, 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 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
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...
and signed with 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 ...
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 2016.
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 ...
,
Seattle Dragons
The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founded ...
,
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, and
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 ...
.
Professional career
On March 22, 2016, Brice attended Louisiana Tech's pro day and had an impressive performance after completing all of the combine drills. His vertical jump (42") would've finished first among all defensive backs at the NFL Combine and his broad jump (11'1") and bench press (21 reps) would've ranked second among defensive backs.
Brice received a private workout for the Green Bay Packers the following week. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Brice was projected to go undrafted and was expected to be signed as an undrafted free agent. He was ranked as the 16th best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 44th best safety by
Scouts Inc.
Scouts Inc. is a partner of ESPN Inc. that specializes in scouting and evaluating current and future players and teams in professional, college and high school sports. The content is provided on the ESPN television networks, ESPN Radio and ESPN in ...
Green Bay Packers
2016
Brice went undrafted in the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
, but received undrafted free agent contract offers from the Green Bay Packers,
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 ...
, and
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 play ...
. On May 1, 2016, 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 ...
signed Brice to a three-year,
$1.62 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
that includes a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $2,000 as an undrafted free agent.
Throughout training camp, Brice competed for a roster spot as a backup safety against
Marwin Evans
Marwin Evans (born April 10, 1993) is an American football strong safety for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. After high school, Evans attended Highland Community College in Northeast Kansas before transferring to play college football at Utah St ...
,
Jermaine Whitehead
Jermaine Rasheed Whitehead (born March 12, 1993) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at Auburn, and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He was also a member of the Baltimore ...
, and
Chris Banjo
Ayokunmi Christopher Oluwaseun Banjo (born February 26, 1990) is a former American football safety and current assistant special teams coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU. Banjo ...
. Head coach
Mike McCarthy
Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...
named him the third free safety on the Packers' depth chart to start the season, behind veterans
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Ha'Sean Treshon "Ha Ha" Clinton-Dix (born December 21, 1992) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Alabama and ...
and
Chris Banjo
Ayokunmi Christopher Oluwaseun Banjo (born February 26, 1990) is a former American football safety and current assistant special teams coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU. Banjo ...
.
He made his professional regular season debut in the
Green Bay Packers' season-opening 27–23 win at 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 play ...
. On September 25, 2016, Brice made his first career tackle in the Packers' 34–27 victory against the
Detroit Lion. He finished their Week 3 victory with two combined tackles.
On October 31, 2016, the Packers released safety Chris Banjo. Brice subsequently became the primary backup free safety after Banjo's release. On November 13, 2016, he collected a season-high five combined tackles and a pass deflection during the Packer's 25–47 loss to the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. In Week 17, Brice earned his first career start as an extra defensive back and recorded a season-high five solo tackles during a 31–24 win against the Detroit Lions.
He finished his rookie season in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
with 26 combined tackles (22 solo) and a pass deflection in 16 games and one start.
The Green Bay Packers finished first in the
NFC North
The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...
with a 10–6 record and earned a playoff berth in 2016. On January 8, 2017, Brice appeared in his first career playoff game and made one tackle in the Packers' 38–13 win against 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. ...
in the NFC Wildcard Game. The following week, Brice collected a season-high seven combined tackles and broke up a pass in a 34–31 victory at 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 divisi ...
in the NFC Divisional Round. The Packers were eliminated from the playoffs after losing 44–21 at 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 ...
in the NFC Championship Game.
2017
Brice entered training camp as a backup safety and competed to retain the role against rookie
Josh Jones. Head coach Mike McCarthy named Brice the primary backup strong safety, behind
Morgan Burnett
Morgan Mark Burnett (born January 13, 1989) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He also played for the Pittsbu ...
, to begin the regular season in 2017.
On September 17, 2017, Brice recorded three solo tackles before exiting the Packers' 34–23 loss at 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 ...
due to a
groin
In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
injury. His injury sidelined him for the Packers' Week 3 victory against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. On September 28, 2017, Brice recorded four combined tackles, broke up pass, and made his first career interception in the Packers' 35–14 win against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in Week 4. Brice made his first career interception off a pass attempt by Bears' quarterback
Mike Glennon
Michael Joseph Glennon (born December 12, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at NC State and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also pl ...
, that was originally intended for wide receiver
Deonte Thompson
Deonte Thompson (born February 14, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Florida, where he was a member of a BCS National Championship team. Thompson was signed by the Baltimore Rav ...
, during the third quarter. Brice sustained a sprained ankle during the game and was carted off the field in the second quarter. On October 27, 2017, he was fined $18,231 for a horse-collar tackle he made 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 ...
. On November 3, 2017, the Green Bay Packers officially placed Brice on injured reserve after he was unable to fully recover from ankle injury. Brice was initially diagnosed with a sprained ankle, but discovered he had actually torn his
deltoid ligament
The deltoid ligament (or medial ligament of talocrural joint) is a strong, flat, triangular band, attached, above, to the apex and anterior and posterior borders of the medial malleolus.
The deltoid ligament is composed of 4 fibers:
1. Anterior ti ...
in his ankle which required ankle reconstruction injury he successfully underwent in November.
He finished the
2017 NFL season
The 2017 NFL season was the 98th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 7, 2017, with Kansas City defeating defending Super Bowl LI champion New England in ...
with 23 combined tackles (19 solo), three pass deflections, and an interception in six games and three starts.
2018
On January 1, 2018, the Green Bay Packers announced their decision to fire defensive coordinator
Dom Capers
Ernest Dominic Capers (born August 7, 1950) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Carolina Panthers and ...
. On January 10, 2018, the Green Bay Packers announced their decision to hire former
Cleveland Browns' head coach
Mike Pettine
Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who currently is an assistant head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015, an ...
as their new defensive coordinator. During training camp, Brice competed to be the starting strong safety against Josh Jones after it was left vacant by the departure of Morgan Burnett in free agency. Head coach Mike McCarthy named Brice and
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Ha'Sean Treshon "Ha Ha" Clinton-Dix (born December 21, 1992) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Alabama and ...
the starting safeties to begin the regular season in 2018. They started alongside cornerbacks
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams Sr. (born March 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana Tech, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an un ...
and
Kevin King.
He started in the
Green Bay Packers' season-opener against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
and recorded nine combined tackles and made his first career sack on Bears' quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell David Trubisky (born August 20, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted second overall by the Chicago ...
in the first quarter of their 24–23 victory. Brice appeared in 14 games and started 10 of them. On December 1, 2018, he was fined $26,739 for lowering his head to tackle
Dalvin Cook
Dalvin James Cook (born August 10, 1995) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he finished his career as the school's all-time lea ...
, which led to him being injured. He finished the season with 50 tackles (40 solo), a sack and two pass deflections. However, his 2018 season was a disappointment, as he missed 12 of his 57 total tackle attempts on the season and allowed a passer rating of 150.1 on 29 throws into his primary coverage.
On February 28, 2019, Brice expressed interest in returning to the Packers and receiving a contract extension. However, on March 13, 2019, the Packers declined a tender for Brice, making him a unrestricted free agent.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On March 18, 2019, Brice signed a one-year deal with 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 August 31, 2019, Brice was released by the Buccaneers.
Seattle Dragons
In October 2019, Brice was selected by the
Seattle Dragons
The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founded ...
in the
2020 XFL Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...
. He was released during mini-camp in December 2019.
Chicago Bears
On January 8, 2020, Brice signed a reserve/future contract with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. He was waived on July 26.
Arizona Cardinals
On August 5, 2020, Brice signed 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 ...
. On September 5, 2020, he was waived during final roster cuts. He was re-signed to the practice squad a day later. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on September 14, and activated on October 7. He was released on October 20.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Brice signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the CFL on March 1, 2021.
DC Defenders
On November 17, 2022, Brice was drafted by 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 ...
.
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Arizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brice, Kentrell
1994 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Ruston, Louisiana
Players of American football from Louisiana
American football safeties
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players
Green Bay Packers players
Seattle Dragons players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Chicago Bears players
Arizona Cardinals players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
DC Defenders players