Da'Norris Searcy (born November 16, 1988) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

Tar Heels and was selected by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Early life

Searcy attended Towers High School, where he was a two way standout at both defensive back and running back. He recorded 71 tackles, including 21 solo stops, eight tackles for losses and three sacks, as a senior. He also rushed for 1,607 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Searcy recorded personal-best times of 11.18 seconds in the 100m and 23.31 seconds in the 200m. Considered only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, Searcy had quite a lot of offers from top BCS schools including

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

and Ole Miss. However, he ultimately decided to attend

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and play for the Tar Heels.

College career

In 2007, he was one of 11 true freshmen to see action. He played in all 12 games primarily on special teams. In 2008, he played primarily on special teams and as a reserve safety. He played in all 13 games and finished the season with 25 tackles, two sacks and three pass breakups. In 2009, he moved into the starting safety spot and also served as Carolina's starting punt returner. He finished the season with 35 tackles and had one interception, three pass breakups and returned seven kickoffs for an average of 23.1 yards. As a senior in 2010, he started nine of 10 games. He missed the first three games of the year while Carolina worked with the NCAA to determine his eligibility after violations, mostly receiving improper benefits committed by Searcy and other players part of the football program. He returned to the team, and recorded 37 tackles, including two for losses, and a team high 4 interceptions.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Searcy attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 31, 2011, Searcy participated at North Carolina's pro day and attempted to improve his 40-yard dash (4.50s), 20-yard dash (2.68s), 10-yard dash (1.62s), and broad jump (10'5"). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Searcy was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the second best strong safety in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Buffalo Bills

2011

The

selected Searcy in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. Searcy was the fourth safety drafted in 2011. On July 29, 2011, the Bills signed Searcy to a four-year, $2.52 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $484,424. Throughout training camp, Searcy competed to be the starting strong safety against George Wilson and Bryan Scott. Head coach Chan Gailey named Searcy the third strong safety on the Bills' depth chart to start the regular season, behind George Wilson and Bryan Scott. He made his professional regular season debut in the Buffalo Bills' season-opening 41–7 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs season. On September 18, 2011, Searcy deflected a pass and made his first career interception in the Bills' 38–35 win against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in Week 2. Searcy intercepted a pass by quarterback Jason Campbell, that was originally intended for wide receiver Denarius Moore, to seal the Bills' victory as time expired in the fourth quarter. On November 20, 2011, Searcy earned his first career sack after George Wilson injured his neck and missed three games (Weeks 11–13). He finished the Bills' 35–8 loss at the

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

with a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo). In Week 13, he recorded nine combined tackles (six solo) in a 23–17 loss to 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. He finished his rookie season in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

with 34 combined tackles (26 solo), a pass deflection, and an interception in 16 games and three starts.

2012

Searcy entered training camp slated as a backup safety. Defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt retained Searcy as the backup safety, behind Jairus Byrd and George Wilson, to start the regular season. On December 9, 2012, he collected a season-high five combined tackles in the Bills' 15–12 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 14. Searcy was inactive during the Bills' Week 17 victory against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

due to a

groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...

injury he suffered the previous week. On December 31, 2012, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Chan Gailey after they finished the 2012 season with a 6–10 record. Searcy completed his second season with 39 combined tackles (26 solo), two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 15 games and zero starts.

2013

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine held a competition to name a new strong safety between Searcy, Aaron Williams, and Duke Williams. The role became vacant after George Wilson departed for 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

in free agency. Head coach Doug Marrone named Searcy the starting strong safety to start the 2013 regular season, alongside free safety Aaron Williams. Searcy became the starter after Jairus Byrd was sidelined for the first six regular season games due to

plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis or plantar heel pain is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that supports the Arches of the foot, arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and Sole (foot), bottom of the foot that is usuall ...

. He started in the Buffalo Bills' season-opener against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

and recorded nine combined tackles, made his first career sack, and returned a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown in their 23–21 loss. Searcy made his first sack on quarterback

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

for a five-yard loss in the second quarter. He also recovered a fumble by running back Stevan Ridley, after it was stripped by teammate Kiko Alonso, and returned it for a 74-yard touchdown in the second quarter. In Week 6, Searcy collected a career-high 16 combined tackles (13 solo) and sacked quarterback Andy Dalton for a ten-yard loss during the third quarter of the Bills' 27–24 victory against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. Searcy was demoted to backup strong safety behind Jairus Byrd in Week 8 and remained the backup for the remainder of the season. On November 17, 2013, Searcy deflected a pass and returned an interception for a touchdown during a 37–14 win against the

in Week 11. Searcy intercepted a pass by quarterback Geno Smith and returned it for a 32-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He finished the 2013 season with 71 combined tackles (48 solo), seven pass deflections, a career-high 3.5 sacks, two touchdowns, a fumble recovery, and an interception in 16 games and seven starts.

2014

The Buffalo Bills hired former Detroit Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz as the new defensive coordinator after Mike Pettine accepted the head coaching position with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. Schwartz held a competition between Searcy and Duke Williams during training camp after Jairus Byrd departed for 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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

during free agency. Head coach Doug Marrone officially named Searcy the starting strong safety to start the regular season, along with free safety Aaron Williams. On November 30, 2014, Searcy recorded four combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterback Brian Hoyer during a 26–10 victory against the

in Week 13. This marked Searcy's first multi-interception game of his career. Searcy was inactive for the Bills' Week 15 victory 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

due to a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. In Week 16, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) in the Bills' 26–24 loss at the

. He finished the 2014 season with 55 total tackles (34 solo), five pass deflections, a forced fumble, and 3 interceptions in 15 games and 13 starts. Searcy became an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

after he completed his four-year contract with the Bills. Buffalo Bills' general manager Doug Whaley explained "Searcy is going to be a little challenging because we have paid Aaron Williams, and there's some money tied up in that position and Searcy may probably garner starting money at safety. That's going to be a little more challenging getting that done just because of the cap space used on that position." He received interest from multiple teams, including the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

, and

Tennessee Titans

2015

On March 10, 2015, the

signed Searcy to a four-year, $24 million contract with $10.50 million guaranteed. He entered training camp slated as the ''de facto'' strong safety. Head coach

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected in the twelfth round of the 1985 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he pla ...

officially named Searcy the starting strong safety to start the 2015 regular season, alongside starting free safety Michael Griffin. On October 18, 2015, Searcy collected a season-high eight solo tackles and three pass deflections during a 38–10 victory against the

in Week 6. On November 4, 2015, the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt after they began the season with a 1–6 record. Assistant head coach/tight ends coach Mike Mularkey was named the interim head coach for the last nine games of the season. He was sidelined for the Titans' Week 15 loss at the

after injuring his hamstring. He finished his first season with the Tennessee Titans with 55 combined tackles (42 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and was credited with half a sack in 15 games and 15 starts.

2016

Head coach

Mike Mularkey Michael Rene Mularkey (born November 19, 1961) is an American former professional football coach and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was selected by the San Francisc ...

named Searcy the starting strong safety to start the regular season, alongside free safety Rashad Johnson. He started the Tennessee Titans' season-opener against the

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

and collected a season-high eight solo tackles and a pass deflection in their 25–16 loss. Searcy was inactive for two games (Weeks 4–5) due to a sprained ankle. In Week 12, Searcy made two combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made an interception in the Titans' 27–21 victory at the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. Searcy finished the season with 40 combined tackles (35 solo), six pass deflections, and an interception in 14 games and 14 starts.

2017

Throughout training camp, Searcy competed against Johnathan Cyprien to be the starting strong safety. Head coach

named Searcy the backup strong safety to start the regular season, behind Johnathan Cyprien. Searcy started at strong safety for six games (Weeks 2–7) after Johnathan Cyprien sustained a hamstring injury during the Titans' season-opener. On September 17, 2017, Searcy recorded three combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Blake Bortles early in the third quarter of the Titans' 37–16 victory over 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in Week 2. In Week 5, he collected a season-high five combined tackles and broke up a pass during a 16–10 loss at the

. He finished the season with 26 combined tackles (15 solo), two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and six starts. Pro Football Focus gave Searcy an overall grade of 71.5, which ranked 38th among all qualifying safeties in 2017. On March 9, 2018, Searcy was released by the Titans.

Carolina Panthers

On March 23, 2018, the

signed Searcy to a two-year, $5.70 million contract with a signing bonus of $1.30 million. On September 21, 2018, Searcy was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2. On May 6, 2019, Searcy was released by the Panthers.

NFL career statistics

Post-playing career

Searcy currently works at his alma mater as the Director of Football Student-Athlete Development.

References

External links

Tennessee Titans bioBuffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searcy, Danorris 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Decatur, Georgia American football safeties North Carolina Tar Heels football players Buffalo Bills players Tennessee Titans players Carolina Panthers players