Justin March-Lillard (born July 5, 1993) 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 wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who is a free agent. He played college football at the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

Early years

March-Lillard attended Danville High School, where he played as a

. As a junior, he had 203 tackles, 6 sacks and helped his team win the conference championship. As a senior, he made 153 tackles, 2 sacks, contributing to his team winning back-to-back conference championships. He received All-Conference, All-Area and All-Area Player of the Year honors. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

College career

March-Lillard accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a freshman, he appeared in 12 games (2 starts), tallying 36 tackles. He had 9 tackles against the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

. As a sophomore, he started in 11 games, collecting 62 tackles (third on the team), 2 tackles for loss, one interception and 3 passes defensed. He made 11 tackles against the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

and 10 tackles against

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

. As a junior, he started 12 games at

strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

, registering 80 tackles (second on the team), 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (tied for the team lead), 2 passes defensed, one sack and one defensive

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. Against the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, he had 4 tackles (1 for loss) and 2 interceptions, including one returned for a

. He made 10 tackles against Ball State University. As a senior, he started 10 games at

, posting 72 tackles (second on the team), 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 8 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles. He did not play against

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: ...

because of injury. He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks against

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

March-Lillard 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

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 ...

after the 2015 NFL Draft. On September 1, he was 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 meniscus tear in his right knee. 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 of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, he started the first 5 games at the right inside linebacker position next to

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

player

Derrick Johnson Derrick O’Hara Johnson (born November 22, 1982) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned consensus All-American honors twice. He was drafted by the Kansas Cit ...

, while collecting 22 tackles (one for loss) and 2 pass defensed. He had 9 tackles in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers. The next week, he had 8 tackles (one for loss) against the Houston Texans. On October 18, he was placed on the

with a broken hand that he suffered in Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders. On December 30, he was activated off injured reserve to the active roster. On September 2,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, March-Lillard was waived by the Chiefs.

Miami Dolphins

On September 3,

, March-Lillard was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. He appeared in two games without recording any stat. He was waived by the Dolphins on September 26.

Seattle Seahawks

On September 27,

, March-Lillard was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in one game without recording any stat. He was waived by the Seahawks on October 7.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 11,

, March-Lillard signed with 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 divi ...

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 ...

, his fourth team in nearly a month. He was a backup

that appeared in 7 games and was declared inactive in 4 contests. He posted 5

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles. In

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, he appeared in all 16 games as a reserve player, while registering 7

tackles (fifth on the team) and one defensive tackle. On March 7,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. He appeared in all 16 games, tallying 10 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 7

tackles (third on the team). He had 8 tackles and 2 passes defensed in the fourteenth game against the Los Angeles Rams. On March 21,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, March re-signed with the Cowboys. He was released during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, but was re-signed two days later. He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2020. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

list by the team on January 2, 2021, and moved back to injured reserve on February 1. He appeared in 12 games and ranked fourth on the team with 5

tackles. He was not re-signed after the season.

Tennessee Titans

On May 6,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, March 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 hom ...

. He was released on September 6, 2021.

San Francisco 49ers

On December 1, 2021, March was signed to 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 ...

practice squad. He was released on December 6.

New Orleans Saints

On December 27, 2021, March 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, but was released the next day.

Las Vegas Raiders

On December 29, 2021, March was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was released on January 5, 2022. After the Raiders were eliminated in the 2021–22 NFL playoffs, 2021 Wild Card round of the playoffs. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 17, 2022. He was released on May 9, 2022.

References

External links

Akron Zips bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:March, Justin 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Danville, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois American football linebackers Akron Zips football players Kansas City Chiefs players Miami Dolphins players Seattle Seahawks players Dallas Cowboys players Tennessee Titans players San Francisco 49ers players New Orleans Saints players Las Vegas Raiders players