Cornelius Marquis Elder (born October 9, 1994) 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 ...

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 ...

for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). 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 ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and was selected by 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 the fifth round of the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. Elder has also been a member of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. 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 ...

, and

Washington Football Team 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Early life

Elder was a four-star

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

coming out of high school and was a back to back Mr. Football Player of the Year in Tennessee. He was a two-sport star in high school and had a basketball offer from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. When he first arrived at 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 ...

, he joined the basketball team. After a torn meniscus in his right knee, he decided to focus solely on football.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Elder was selected by the

in the fifth round, 152nd overall, in the

. On September 3, 2017, 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 ...

due to a knee injury. Elder was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

New York Giants

On September 2, 2019, Elder was signed to the

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 ...

of the

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On November 12, 2019, Elder was signed by the Panthers off the Giants' practice squad.

Detroit Lions

Elder signed with the

on April 1, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.

Carolina Panthers (third stint)

On September 14, 2021, Elder was signed to the Panthers' practice squad.

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Elder was signed off the Panthers' practice squad by the

on October 13, 2021. He re-signed on January 11, 2022. On August 30, 2022, Elder was waived by the Commanders and signed to the practice squad the next day.

Houston Roughnecks

On March 6, 2024, Elder was signed by the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). He re-signed with the team on August 27, 2024.

Coaching career

He is also currently an assistant varsity football and basketball coach at his alma mater,

The Ensworth School The Ensworth School is a private school located on two separate campuses in Nashville, Tennessee. The original campus, with grades kindergarten (previously referred to as "pre-first") through eighth, opened in 1958 with 152 students. The school ...

in Nashville, TN.

References

External links

Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, Corn 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Houston Roughnecks (2024) players Miami Hurricanes football players New York Giants players Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee Washington Commanders players Washington Football Team players Players of American football from Murfreesboro, Tennessee The Ensworth School alumni