Cedric Edwin Peerman (born October 10, 1986) 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 wit ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He was drafted by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

in the sixth round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

and has also played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

, and

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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

. He played college football at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

Early years

Peerman was born in Lynchburg, Virginia to parents Stanley and Melissa Peerman. Peerman grew up working on his family's tobacco farm in Gladys,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

.http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-ravens0427,0,5724678.story He attended William Campbell High School in Naruna, Virginia. There, he was a four-year starter and played on both offense and defense. He set the Virginia state record for career scoring with 708 points. In his sophomore year, he was moved from wide receiver to running back and rushed for more than 1,000 yards. As a junior, he rushed for 2,048 yards and 43 touchdowns, and caught 22 passes for 367 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he attempted 222 rushes for 2,016 yards and 43 touchdowns. He was twice named first-team all-state and, as a senior, was named the Virginia state player of the year. Peerman was also named a PrepStar All-American.Cedric Peerman Biography
, University of Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site, retrieved January 22, 2009. Peerman was also a standout sprinter and long jumper for the high school track team. He was state champion in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

as a junior and senior. He also placed fourth in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down t ...

, and eighth in 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 ...

to lead his school to state championship as a senior.

College career

Peerman attended the

where he majored in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

. He sat out the 2004 season as a

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. In 2005, he saw action in every game with a start against

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

. He recorded 237 rushing yards, ranking sixth among Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshmen. He also averaged 25.8 yards per

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return ...

, tying for second in the ACC. Peerman was Virginia's all-purpose yardage leader with 793 yards. In 2006, he saw action in all 12 games, including a start against

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

. He again led the team in kick returns with 519 yards (27.3 yards per return). Peerman attempted 46 carries for a gain of 153 yards. In 2007, Peerman suffered a season-ending foot injury early in the team's sixth game. Nevertheless, he was Virginia's leading rusher with 585 yards. In 2008, Peerman saw action in 11 games. He was Virginia's leading rusher and leading scorer, with 153 carries for 774 yards and seven touchdowns. He ranked third in receiving, with 44 receptions for 193 yards. Peerman also returned five kicks for 108 yards.

Professional career

2009 NFL Combine

2009 NFL Draft

NFL Draft Scout had rated him 14th out of 176 prospective running backs for the

Baltimore Ravens

Peerman was selected in the sixth round (185th overall) of the

by the

. He was waived during final cuts on September 5.

Cleveland Browns

Peerman was claimed off waivers by the

on September 6, 2009. After being inactive for the first two games of the season, Peerman was waived on September 26 when the team signed

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Sp ...

Billy Cundiff. The Browns re-signed Peerman to their practice squad on September 29. He was released on October 28.

Detroit Lions

Peerman was signed to the

practice squad on October 30. He was promoted to the active roster on December 15 after

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

was placed on

injured reserve 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 ...

. He was waived on April 26, 2010.

Cincinnati Bengals

Peerman was claimed off waivers by the

on April 27, 2010. For two seasons, Peerman served as a backup, rushing a total of only five times. During the 2012 season he had two long runs off fake punts and he also carried the ball 34 times for 178 yards. On March 7, 2013, the Bengals re-signed Peerman on a two-year deal. He served as the special teams captain for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Peerman was named to his first Pro Bowl for the 2015 season as a special teams player. On September 4, 2016, Peerman was placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury. He was activated off injured reserve on November 26, 2016. On March 23, 2017, Peerman re-signed with the Bengals. He was placed on injured reserve on August 29, 2017 after suffering a shoulder injury.

Personal life

Peerman graduated in May 2008 with a degree in sociology and took graduate courses during his fifth year at Virginia. During the 2012 offseason, Peerman served as a pastoral intern for Dr. Keith Goad at Jefferson Park Baptist Church in Charlottesville, VA. He is married to Hagar Elgendy and they have four children, including twins.

References

External links

Cleveland Browns bioDetroit Lions bioVirginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peerman, Cedric 1986 births Living people Sportspeople from Lynchburg, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football running backs Virginia Cavaliers football players Baltimore Ravens players Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players Cincinnati Bengals players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players