Nathan Gerry (born February 23, 1995) 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, ...

for the

Washington Commanders 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) E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He played college football for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

as a linebacker and safety. Gerry was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

in the fifth round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

and has also been a member of 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 Nationa ...

Early years

Gerry grew up in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, and played high school football and ran track for Washington High School. Gerry was the 200-meter high school champion in South Dakota during his junior and senior years and set a state-record 21.52 seconds. As a senior, Gerry also won the 100 meter race. In his senior year playing football, Gerry had 64 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, five interceptions and two forced fumbles. He committed to the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

to play

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

College career

In Gerry's freshman year he had 32 tackles, including 18 stops. In Gerry's sophomore season he switched from

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition 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 There are two slightly di ...

. Gerry started every game and led the Huskers with five interceptions and was second on the team for tackles with 88. Gerry started every game in 2015 and led the Huskers with 79 tackles and 4 interceptions. He also had 7 pass breakups. In 2016, Gerry was named Third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and Second-team All-Big Ten by the media. He was ruled ineligible for his final game with the Huskers, the Music City Bowl versus Tennessee Volunteers.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Gerry was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 184th overall, in the

. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the Eagles on May 12, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Eagles' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 19, 2017. On February 4, 2018, Gerry won

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...

with the Eagles. In week 5 of the 2019 season 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

, Gerry recorded an interception off

Luke Falk Lucas Andrew Falk (born December 28, 1994) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Washington State, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has played fo ...

and returned it for a 51 yard touchdown in the 31–6 win. In week 11 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Gerry recorded a team high 10 tackles and sacked

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

once in the 17–10 loss. Gerry 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 quick ...

list by the Eagles on July 29, 2020. He was activated on August 9, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on October 30, 2020 with an ankle injury.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 29, 2021, Gerry signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released with an injury waiver on July 6, 2021. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 8, 2021, but was released on November 2, 2021.

Washington Commanders

Gerry signed with the

on August 7, 2022. He 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 ...

on August 23, 2022, and was released with an injury settlement two days later. He signed with the Commanders'

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on November 3.

References

External links

Washington Commanders bioNebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerry, Nathan Living people 1995 births Sportspeople from Sioux Falls, South Dakota Players of American football from South Dakota American football safeties American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players Washington Commanders players