Quinton Kyle Coples (born June 22, 1990) is a former

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 ...

. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and has also played for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

and Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

High school career

Coples attended Kinston High School, and later transferred to

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

in Chatham, Virginia. He was rated a four-star recruit by ''

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''.

College career

As a junior in 2010 Coples was named a first team All-ACC selection after recording 59 tackles and 10 sacks. Coples finished college with 144 tackles, 24 sacks and 5 Forced fumbles.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coples was considered one of the best

prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft.

New York Jets

Coples was selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He signed a four-year contract worth $8.8 million on May 17, 2012. During his rookie season of 2012, Coples compiled with 30 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The Jets finished 6–10 (tied 3rd in AFC East) that season. With the acquisition of Sheldon Richardson in the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...

, the Jets announced that Coples would transition to outside linebacker. During a preseason game against 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 ...

on August 17, 2013, Coples suffered a hairline ankle fracture after defending a pass thrown by

Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman st ...

. The Jets projected that Coples was going to be out indefinitely due to the injury but he eventually returned during Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills on September 22, 2013. During the 2013 season, Coples performed somewhat well at his new position as an outside linebacker playing 14 games (13 started) with 38 tackles, a forced fumble, 3 passes defended, and 4.5 sacks. The Jets finished 8–8 (tied 2nd in AFC East) that season. In 2014, Coples played all 16 games with 15 starts mostly at the outside linebacker position and made 35 tackles with 6.5 sacks along with a forced fumble. The Jets plummeted to a 4-12 record, their worst record since 2007. The Jets picked up the fifth-year, $7.8 million option of Coples' contract on April 23, 2015. Coples began to see limited playing time in 2015 due to lackluster performance, as he only made 8 tackles along with a fumble recovery in 10 games. The Jets waived Coples on November 23, 2015.

Miami Dolphins

On November 24, 2015, Coples was claimed off waivers by the

. He was released by the Dolphins on February 12, 2016.

Los Angeles Rams

On March 16, 2016, Coples signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams. He was released by the Rams on August 29, 2016.

References

External links

*
North Carolina Tar Heels bio

New York Jets bio

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coples, Quinton 1990 births Living people American football outside linebackers American football defensive ends North Carolina Tar Heels football players New York Jets players Miami Dolphins players Los Angeles Rams players People from Kinston, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina African-American players of American football 21st-century African-American sportspeople