Bilal Shakur Nichols (born September 14, 1996) is an American 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 ...

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 ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by 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 ...

in the fifth round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

. 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

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are the athletic teams of the University of Delaware (UD) of Newark, Delaware, in the United States. The Blue Hens compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I of the National Collegiat ...

College career

He had 56

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

including 6.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, an

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

, four pass break-ups, and a blocked kick in 2017. He was named first-team All-

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

for his season.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Nichols was selected by the

in the fifth round (145th overall) of the

. Like Nichols, Bears head coach

Matt Nagy Matthew Nagy ( or ; born April 24, 1978) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Chicago ...

was a Delaware alumnus, while assistant Brian Ginn worked for the school before joining the Bears. His first NFL start came in Week 10 of the 2018 season against the

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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, where he recorded his first full sack on quarterback

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

in a 34–22 win. A second sack came in the season finale on 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 ...

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...

as the Bears won 24–10. Nichols' 2019 season was marred by a broken hand that he suffered in Week 2 against 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 ...

. Upon his return, he primarily filled in for the injured Akiem Hicks at tackle. In the final game of the year against Minnesota, he recovered a fumble by Mike Boone on the Vikings' opening drive. After nose tackle

Eddie Goldman Eddie Goldman (born January 6, 1994) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Ch ...

opted out of the 2020 season for

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 ...

reasons, Nichols took over his slot. In the Bears' Week 6 game against 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 ...

, Nichols sacked

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the 2013 Sugar Bowl, and was selected as the final first round pick of ...

at the Panthers' one-yard line; on the ensuing play, Bridgewater was intercepted by

Tashaun Gipson Tashaun James Gipson Sr. (born August 7, 1990) is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Wyoming and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Gipson has also played for the Jacksonvill ...

to set up a Bears touchdown. In Week 13 against the Lions, Nichols recorded a sack on

and his first career interception off a pass thrown by Stafford that he returned for seven yards during the 34–30 loss. Nichols was the first Bears defensive tackle to intercept a pass since

Tommie Harris Tommie Harris Jr. (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was r ...

in 2009.

Las Vegas Raiders

Nichols signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

on March 17, 2022. During the Raiders' 2023 Week 16 victory over 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Nichols recovered a fumble by

Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II ( ; born September 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game app ...

and returned it 8 yards for his first career touchdown.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 14, 2024, Nichols signed a three-year contract with the

. On October 15, Nichols was placed on season–ending injured reserve after suffering a stinger.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioDelaware Fightin' Blue Hens bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Bilal 1996 births Living people American football defensive tackles Arizona Cardinals players Chicago Bears players Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football players Sportspeople from Newark, Delaware Players of American football from New Castle County, Delaware Las Vegas Raiders players