Christopher Sean Chester (born January 12, 1983) is a former
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 wit ...
guard. He played
college football at
Oklahoma and was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in the second round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. He also played for the
Washington Redskins
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) ...
and
Atlanta Falcons.
Early years
Chester attended
Tustin High School
Tustin High School is a public high school in Tustin, California, United States. It is part of the Tustin Unified School District. It was established in 1921 as the Tustin Union High School.
History
Founded in 1921, Tustin High School was ori ...
in
Tustin, California
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated communi ...
. He recorded 815 yards and 11
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
as a senior and rushed for 450 yards and five touchdowns. This led him to be named defensive player of the year in his league. He was also a Golden West All-League as a junior and senior and a first-team All-Orange County by the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
.
Chester was also and a second-team All-league pick in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
as a junior and a first-team All-league in the
discus and
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
as a junior.
Chester was ranked as the eighth best
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...
in the nation by
Rivals.com.
College career
Chester played
college football at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
. For the first three years, he played as a
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...
for the Sooners, but switched over to being an offensive lineman in his senior year. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in political science in 2006.
Professional career

At the 2006
NFL Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
he ran the fastest time for an offensive lineman at 4.83 seconds.
Baltimore Ravens
Chester was selected by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in the second round (56th overall) in the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. In his rookie season, he played in 11 games making four starts. He helped to protect the quarterback and only 17 sacks were allowed, the 2nd fewest in the league. He made his NFL debut at the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
on October 9, 2006.
In 2008, Chester was converted from the offensive line to
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...
and switched from No. 65 to No. 48. His first NFL action at the new position came against 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
on September 29. He later switched back to the offensive line and No. 65 in October.
Washington Redskins
In July 2011, Chester signed a five-year contract with the
Washington Redskins
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) ...
. He was the only member of the Redskins' offensive line to start and play in all 16 games of the
2011 season at the same position. On May 27, 2015, Chester was released. During his four-year stint with the Redskins, Chester started all 64 games.
Atlanta Falcons
On May 30, 2015, Chester signed a one-year deal with the
Atlanta Falcons. He played and started in all 16 games for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 season.
On April 20, 2016 Chester re-signed with the Falcons.
In the 2016 season, Chester and the Falcons reached
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Ne ...
on February 5, 2017 but the Falcons would fall in a 34–28 overtime defeat to 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 ...
, .
On March 31, 2017, Chester announced his retirement from the NFL.
Personal life
Chester lives in Frisco, Texas with his wife and three children. He is also a devout
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
.
References
External links
Atlanta Falcons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Chris
1983 births
Living people
People from Tustin, California
American football offensive guards
American football centers
American football tight ends
Atlanta Falcons players
Baltimore Ravens players
Oklahoma Sooners football players
Players of American football from California
Sportspeople from Orange County, California
Washington Redskins players