Carlos Dunlap (born February 28, 1989) 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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

in 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 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 Florida Gators, who won the 2009 BCS National Championship Game. He was selected by the

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the second round of the

2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...

Early life

Dunlap was born in

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. As ...

.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Carlos Dunlap
Retrieved April 6, 2011. He attended Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, where he played for the Fort Dorchester Patriots

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

team. During his junior year, he made 103

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 ...

, 22 for loss and 9

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...

s. As a senior, he recorded 105 tackles, 35 for loss and 24 sacks and was chosen to play in the first Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.GatorZone.com, Football History, 2009 Roster
Carlos Dunlap
. Retrieved April 6, 2011. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Dunlap was listed as the No. 1 weakside defensive end in the nation in 2007. He chose Florida over offers from Clemson,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, Auburn, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

College career

Dunlap accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

, where he played for coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

's Gators teams from

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 74, 89, 97, 98, 153–154, 173, 181 (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2011. As a true freshman in 2007, he played in 13 games, recording seven tackles and a quarterback sack. As a sophomore in 2008, Dunlap played in all 14 of the Gators games recording 39 tackles, a team-high 9.5 sacks and three blocked punts. He was the defensive MVP of the Gators win over the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, recording four tackles, and a shared sack during the game. He also was a second-team All-SEC selection. As a junior in 2009, Dunlap played in 13 games. He missed one game, the SEC Championship, due to suspension after being arrested on driving under the influence of alcohol. During the season, he recorded 38 tackles and nine sacks and was a consensus first-team All-SEC selection. He ended his career with 84 tackles, 19.5 sacks, and three blocked kicks. After his junior year, Dunlap decided to forgo his senior season and enter the

Professional career

After his sophomore season, Dunlap was projected to be a first round and a possible top ten selection in 2010. His draft stock began to fall after a mediocre junior season and a DUI arrest. On January 11, 2010, it was announced that Dunlap would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. Dunlap attended the NFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine and positional drills. His overall combine performance was said to be underwhelming by multiple scouts, and he did not impress team representatives during the interview process. On March 17, 2010, Dunlap attended Florida's pro day and chose to perform multiple combine drills again. He improved his 40-yard dash (4.61s), 20-yard dash (2.68s), 10-yard dash (1.60s), bench press (22), and broad jump (9'4"). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Dunlap was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the third best defensive end prospect by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, the fourth best defensive end by Scouts Inc., and was ranked the fifth best defensive end in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Cincinnati Bengals

2010

The

selected Dunlap in the second round (54th overall) of the

. Dunlap was the tenth defensive end drafted in 2010. On July 28, 2010, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Dunlap to a four-year, $3.71 million

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

that included $1.77 million guaranteed and a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $1.22 million. Throughout training camp, Dunlap competed to be a backup defensive end against Jonathan Fanene and

Frostee Rucker Frostee Lynn Rucker (born September 14, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans football, USC ...

. Head coach Marvin Lewis named him the fifth defensive end on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Robert Geathers, Antwan Odom, Frostee Rucker, and Jonathan Fanene. Dunlap was inactive as a healthy scratch for the first two games of the regular season. On September 26, 2010, Dunlap made his professional regular season debut during the Bengals' 20–7 victory at 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 ...

in Week 3. Dunlap was inactive for another two games (Weeks 4–5), but made his return in Week 7 during a 39–32 loss at the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. During the game, he made his first career tackle on running back Jason Snelling to stop a four-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Dunlap was elevated on the depth chart after Antwan Odom was suspended and Johnathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker sustained injuries. Fanene, Odom, and Rucker were all placed on injured reserve where they would end the season. On November 14, 2010, Dunlap recorded two solo tackles and made his first career sack during a 23–17 loss at the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

in Week 10. Dunlap made his first career sack on quarterback Peyton Manning for a four-yard loss in the second quarter. In Week 14, he collected a season-high four combined tackles and was credited with half a sack in the Bengals' 23–7 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. On November 25, 2010, Dunlap made three solo tackles and had two sacks on quarterback Mark Sanchez during a 26–10 loss at 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 ...

in Week 12. He earned his first multi-sack performance of his career with his two sacks. Dunlap finished his rookie season in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

with 24 combined tackles (19 solo), 9.5 sacks, and three pass deflections in 12 games and zero starts. His 9.5 sacks led the team and set a franchise record for most sacks by a rookie.

2011

During training camp, Dunlap competed to be a starting defensive end against Robert Geathers, Frostee Rucker, and Michael Johnson. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer named Dunlap the fourth defensive end on the depth chart to start the season, behind Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson, and Frostee Rucker. In Week 2, Dunlap collected a season-high four solo tackles during a 24–22 loss at 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 ...

. On October 2, 2011, Dunlap made his first career start in place of Robert Geathers. He finished the Bengals' 23–20 victory 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 ...

with two combined tackles and a pass deflection. On November 6, 2011, he made three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and had a season-high two sacks on Titans' quarterback

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for t ...

in a 24–17 win at the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. He was inactive for the Bengals' Week 10 loss to the

due to a hamstring injury. Dunlap aggravated his hamstring injury and was inactive for three more games (Weeks 12–14). In Week 17, Dunlap collected a season-high six combined tackles and was credited with half a sack during a 24–16 loss to the

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

. He finished the season with 23 combined tackles (11 solo), 4.5 sacks, and three pass deflections in 12 games and one start. The

finished third in the

AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the NFL realign ...

with a 9–7 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 7, 2012, Dunlap appeared in his first career playoff game and made one tackle during a 31–10 loss at the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the AFC Wildcard Game.

2012

During training camp, Dunlap competed to be a starting defensive end against Michael Johnson, Jamaal Anderson, and Derrick Harvey. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Dunlap the backup defensive end to begin the season, behind Robert Geathers and Michael Johnson. Dunlap sustained a knee injury during the preseason and was unable to play in the first two games of the regular season (Weeks 1–2).

2013

On July 15, 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Dunlap to a five-year, $39.37 million contract extension with $11.70 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $8 million.

2015

Dunlap had a breakout season in 2015, recording a career best 13.5 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl. He was ranked 70th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016

In 2016, he started all 16 games, recording 49 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and 15 passes defensed on his way to his second Pro Bowl. His 15 passes defensed was tied for eighth in the league and were the most by any non-defensive back.

2017

In Week 8 of the 2017 season, he batted a pass from Colts' quarterback Jacoby Brissett and intercepted it and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown in a 24–23 win, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 46 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, and one interception.

2018

On August 28, 2018, Dunlap signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension with the Bengals through the 2021 season.

2019

In week 13 against the

, Dunlap sacked quarterback Sam Darnold three times as the Bengals won their first game of the season 22–6. He won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance. In week 17 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Dunlap sacked Baker Mayfield 2.5 times during the 33–23 win. As the 2020 season progressed, Dunlap openly expressed his desire to want out of Cincinnati after losing playing time and questioning his usage by the coaching staff, including posting to his Twitter that he was selling his house in Cincinnati.

Seattle Seahawks

2020

On October 28, 2020, Dunlap was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for center B. J. Finney and a 2021 seventh-round draft pick. Dunlap made his debut with the Seahawks in Week 9 against the

. During the game, Dunlap recorded his first sack as a Seahawk on Josh Allen during the 44–34 loss. In Week 11 against 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 ...

on ''Thursday Night Football'', Dunlap recorded two sacks on Kyler Murray, including one on fourth down late in the fourth quarter to seal a 28–21 Seahawks' win.

2021

Dunlap was released after the season on March 8, 2021, but re-signed with the team on a two-year contract worth $16.6 million on March 30, 2021. In the Seahawks week 13 game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the 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 ...

, Dunlap recorded the first safety of his career. On March 18, 2022, Dunlap was released by the Seahawks.

Kansas City Chiefs

Dunlap signed with 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 ...

on July 28, 2022. Dunlap helped the Chiefs defeat the

, his former team, 23–20 in the AFC Championship Game. On February 12, 2023, they defeated 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

38–35 to win Super Bowl LVII.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Dunlap graduated from the University of Florida with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in Family, Youth and Community Sciences finishing his degree online. In May 2016, Dunlap graduated from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

References

External links

*
Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlap, Carlos 1989 births Living people People from North Charleston, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football defensive ends Florida Gators football players Cincinnati Bengals players Seattle Seahawks players Kansas City Chiefs players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players American Conference Pro Bowl players