Cariel Brooks (born April 24, 1991) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. 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 Adams State. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by 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).

Early life

Brooks attended Miami Carol City High School. While there he was a second-team All-conference selection in

. He was also an All-conference selection 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 ...

College career

Brooks then attended

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...

in 2011 before transferring to

Adams State University Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado, United States. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. History Adams State was founded in 1921 as a normal scho ...

. As a sophomore in 2012, he appeared in eight games. He recorded 21

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 ...

(15 solo), one tackle-for-loss, two

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 ...

s and seven passes defensed. In 2013, as a junior, he appeared in 11 games. He recorded 38 tackles and three interceptions. As a senior in 2014, he appeared in 10 games and recorded three interceptions.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

After going unselected in the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

, Brooks was signed by the

. He was released on September 5 and two days later he was signed to the Cardinals'

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. On October 14, 2015, he was promoted to the Cardinals' active roster. He appeared in three games for the Cardinals, recording one

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackle. On November 11, 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 ...

with an ankle injury. He was released from injured reserve on December 29. He signed a futures contract on January 27, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cardinals.

Toronto Argonauts

Brooks signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) on March 14, 2017. He was released by the Argonauts on June 18, 2017.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On August 8, 2017, Brooks was signed to the practice roster of the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

of the CFL. He was promoted to the active roster on August 13, and was demoted to the practice roster on August 17, 2017. He re-signed with the Tiger-Cats on January 25, 2021. Brooks was released on February 10, 2023.

Ottawa Redblacks

Brooks signed with the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

on February 14, 2023. He retired in February 2024.

References

External links

Adams State Grizzlies bio

Arizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Cariel 1991 births Living people People from Miami Gardens, Florida Players of American football from Miami-Dade County, Florida Players of Canadian football from Florida American football cornerbacks Canadian football defensive backs Pasadena City College alumni Adams State Grizzlies football players Arizona Cardinals players Toronto Argonauts players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Ottawa Redblacks players