Ahmad Gooden (born October 27, 1995) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

at Samford.

College career

Gooden was a member of the Samford Bulldogs for four seasons. As a junior, Gooden made 101 tackles (15.5 for loss) with 5.5 sacks and was named first-team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

(SoCon) and the conference Defensive Player of the Year. Gooden was named first-team All-SoCon as a senior after recording 49 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He finished his collegiate career with 273 tackles, 22 sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in 46 games played.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Gooden was signed by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

as an

undrafted 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 ...

on April 30, 2019. He was waived at the end of training camp during final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 1, 2019. The Broncos promoted Gooden to the active roster on November 22, 2019. He made his NFL debut the next day against 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 ...

. He was waived on December 14, 2019. Gooden played in three games with the Broncos, making one tackle and recording a quarterback hit.

New York Jets

On December 21, 2019, Gooden was signed to 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 ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on December 30, 2019. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the Jets on July 29, 2020. He was activated from the list and subsequently waived on August 15, 2020.

Buffalo Bills

On October 22, 2020, Gooden was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on November 2. Gooden played with the Conquerors of

The Spring League The Spring League (TSL) was an American football Minor league football (gridiron), developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional football (gridiron), p ...

in 2021.

Houston Gamblers

Gooden was selected by the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducin ...

in the third round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released thro ...

. He was waived in February 2023.

New Orleans Breakers

The New Orleans Breakers claimed Gooden off waivers on February 3, 2023. He was released on April 10.

References

External links

Samford Bulldogs bioDenver Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gooden, Ahmad 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Talladega, Alabama Players of American football from Talladega County, Alabama American football defensive ends American football linebackers Samford Bulldogs football players Denver Broncos players New York Jets players Buffalo Bills players Houston Gamblers (2022) players New Orleans Breakers (2022) players