Kevin Strong Jr. (born August 5, 1996) 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 ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for 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 ...

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 ...

at UTSA before graduating in 2018. He signed 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 ...

with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 2019.

College career

Strong was a member of the

UTSA Roadrunners The UTSA Roadrunners is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", "Roadrunners", "Runners", “The Meep Meeps”, or simply “The B ...

for five seasons, redshirting his freshman year. As a junior, Strong was named second-team All-

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

after recording 27 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. He finished his collegiate career with 106 tackles (26.5 for loss), 7.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two blocked kicks in 47 games played (40 starts).

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Strong signed with the

as an

on May 10, 2019. He made his NFL Debut on September 8, 2019, against the

. On November 12, 2019, Strong was placed on injured reserve after an season ending injury. He finished his rookie season with five tackles and a pass defended in eight games played. On September 5, 2020, Strong was waived by the Lions and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19 for the team's week 2 game against 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 ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was released by the Lions on November 11, 2020. He re-signed to the practice squad on December 1, 2020, and was promoted to the active roster the next day. In Week 17 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, Strong recorded his first career sack on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...

during the 37–35 loss. On September 25, 2021, Strong was placed on injured reserve. He was activated on November 2, 2021. He was waived on November 20.

Tennessee Titans

Strong signed with 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 ...

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, ...

on November 23, 2021. He was promoted to the active roster on January 8, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 15, 2023, Strong signed a one-year contract with the

References

External links

Tennessee Titans bioUTSA Roadrunners bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Kevin 1996 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Arizona Cardinals players Detroit Lions players People from Cleveland, Texas Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from the Houston metropolitan area Tennessee Titans players UTSA Roadrunners football players