Terrell McClain (born July 20, 1988) is a professional gridiron football defensive lineman for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was drafted by 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. ...

in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

. He has also played for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans,

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 divi ...

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals,

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

, and Oakland Raiders.

Early years

McClain attended

Pensacola High School Pensacola High School is a secondary school located near downtown Pensacola, Florida, United States. The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001 and graduated its 100th class of seniors in 2005; however, the school has not always been at ...

, where he played as a defensive tackle for the Tigers

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team. As a senior, he registered 65 tackles with 8 sacks, receiving Class 3A first team All-state honors. He was named MVP of Pensacola East-West All-Star Game.

College career

He accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a freshman, he appeared in 12 games, making 8 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, one quarterback pressure, one pass defensed and a fumble recovery. As a sophomore he started 9 games at defensive tackle, tallying 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, one quarterback pressure and a forced fumble. As a junior he started 11 games as part of a defense that ranked 19th in the nation in scoring, posting 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 quarterback pressures, 5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. As a senior, he started 13 games, collecting 24 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 quarterback pressures and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

McClain was selected by the

in the third round (65th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he started 12 games at defensive tackle registering 20 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery, before being placed on the

injured reserve list 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 ...

with a left knee injury on December 6. He was released on September 2, 2012.

New England Patriots

McClain signed with the New England Patriots on September 26, 2012. He was waived on October 2, after being active for one game and not recording any statistics.

Houston Texans

McClain signed with the Houston Texans as a

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 ...

on October 29, 2012. He played in 16 games and finished with a career-high 21 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Dallas Cowboys

McClain signed as a

with the

on March 12, 2014. Although he looked strong and was taking advantage of the added work as

Henry Melton Henry James Melton (born October 11, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he was a running back for the 2005 National Championship team, and also played on special te ...

recovered from knee surgery during off-season workouts, a high-ankle sprain he suffered in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

affected his momentum. He played 13 games in a reserve role and finished with 20 tackles (3 for loss), 7 quarterback pressures, one sack and a forced fumble. His best game came against the

, notching 4 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble. In 2015, he missed time during

with a bone bruise and hamstring injuries. He registered 4 tackles in the first two regular-season games, before being placed on the

with a sprained big toe injury on September 22. In 2016, he was able to earn a starting position over new

addition Cedric Thornton. He started in 15 games mostly at the three technique position and was considered the best

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

man on the team according to the media and observers. In the season opener against the New York Giants he had 5 tackles (one for loss). His best game came against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he registered 6 tackles (1 for loss), 1.5 sacks and 3 quarterback hurries. He did not play in the last game to rest an ankle injury he suffered against the Detroit Lions and be ready for the playoffs. He finished the season with 41 tackles (3 for loss), 2.5 sacks, 8 quarterback pressures and 2 forced fumbles.

Washington Redskins

On March 10, 2017, McClain signed a four-year contract with the

. He started 2 out of 12 games at

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 ...

in the team's 3-4 defense, after being passed on the depth chart by Stacy McGee. He registered 20 tackles, 2 sacks and one fumble recovery. He missed weeks 12 through 15 with a toe injury he suffered 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 ...

. He was released on April 30, 2018.

Atlanta Falcons

On May 11, 2018, McClain signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

Arizona Cardinals

On May 22, 2019, McClain signed with the Arizona Cardinals. On August 26, 2019, McClain was released by the Cardinals.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 8, 2019, McClain signed with the

. He was released on October 19, 2019.

Oakland Raiders

On October 30, 2019, McClain was signed by the Oakland Raiders. He was released on December 10, 2019.

Calgary Stampeders

On May 2, 2022, McClain signed with the

of the

(CFL). McClain was assigned to the practice squad at the end of the preseason, but made his Stampeder debut on August 20, 2022, in a game against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioUSF Bulls bioNFL Draft combine profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcclain, Terrell 1988 births Living people American football defensive tackles Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Dallas Cowboys players Houston Texans players Kansas City Chiefs players New England Patriots players Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida South Florida Bulls football players Washington Redskins players Calgary Stampeders players