Ethan Colbey Westbrooks (born November 15, 1990) 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

Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played i ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). 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 ...

West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on Se ...

and signed with the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

Early years

Westbrooks attended and played football at Franklin High School in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population o ...

where he earned All-league and All-conference honors. He also participated in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

as he threw the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

and discus.

College career

Westbrooks began his college career at

San Joaquin Delta College San Joaquin Delta College (Delta College) is a public community college in Stockton, California. It was founded in 1935 as Stockton Junior College. The college serves a district area that includes all of San Joaquin County and parts of Alameda, ...

where he played defensive end ending his freshman season with 12 sacks. He later transferred to

Sacramento City College Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...

where he played defensive end and earned All-league honors All-conference accolades and All-state in 2011. He transferred to

West Texas A&M West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges ...

where he was recognized as Lone Star Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2012. Westbrooks had an outstanding first season in a Buffalo uniform as he played in all 15 games with 14 starts on the defensive line. He had 60 total tackles with 29 solo stops and led the team and conference with 28 tackles for loss for 139 yards. He led the team, the league, and the nation in sacks with a school-record 19.5 sacks for 116 yards. He had two pass breakups and a team-high 19 quarterback hurries, while forcing three fumbles. As a senior in 2012 with opponents keying in on him, Westbrooks numbers dropped significantly in 2013 with 43 tackles, 19.5 for losses, and seven sacks. He was selected to the

2014 East–West Shrine Game The 2014 East–West Shrine Game, the 89th staging of the all-star college football exhibition game, was held on January 18, 2014, at 4:00 PM EST, and featured NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players and a few select invitees from Can ...

, and earned Defensive

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

honors during the game with two sacks and two more tackles for loss.

Professional career

St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams

Westbrooks went undrafted in the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He was 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 ...

by the

. He had a strong training camp and preseason, earning a spot on the 53-member active squad at the start of the 2014 season. During his rookie season in 2014, Westbrooks played 6 games making 5 tackles. In 2015, he played 13 games making 19 tackles with 2 sacks and a forced fumble. On September 11, 2017, Westbrook signed a one-year contract extension with the Rams.

Oakland Raiders

On July 30, 2019, Westbrooks signed with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. He was released on August 31, 2019.

San Francisco 49ers

On February 12, 2020, Westbrooks was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, but was released two days later.

Las Vegas Raiders

On August 11, 2021, Westbrooks signed with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, but released five days later.

New Orleans Saints

On December 27, 2021, Westbrooks was signed to 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 ...

practice squad.

Pittsburgh Maulers

On March 10, 2022, Westbrooks was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Maulers Pittsburgh Maulers may refer to: * Pittsburgh Maulers (1984), United States Football League team * Pittsburgh Maulers (2022) The Pittsburgh Maulers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Maulers compet ...

of the

(USFL). He was transferred to the team's inactive roster on April 22, 2022, due to a quadriceps injury. He was moved back to the active roster on May 6. He was released on May 28, 2022.

Michigan Panthers

Westbrooks was claimed off waivers by the

on May 28, 2022, and subsequently transferred to the team's inactive roster.

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams bio West Texas A&M Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westbrooks, Ethan 1990 births Living people American football defensive ends Las Vegas Raiders players Los Angeles Rams players New Orleans Saints players Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from Oakland, California Sacramento City College alumni San Francisco 49ers players San Joaquin Delta College alumni St. Louis Rams players West Texas A&M Buffaloes football players Pittsburgh Maulers (2022) players Michigan Panthers (2022) players