Cory Bartholomew Redding (born November 15, 1980) is a former American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was drafted by 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) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in the third round of the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

and played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Texas. Redding also played for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, Baltimore Ravens,

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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

and

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) West division, and play t ...

Early years

He was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, the son of Carl Benjamin Redding and Mary Zerlene Brantley. Redding played football at North Shore High School. In his senior year in 1999, he was named USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American choice. He also excelled in track and field, winning the state Class 5A title in the discus as a junior and senior (career best toss of 193'9").

College career

Redding played

for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas. During his four years there, he was a two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection and played in every game, including a string of 35 consecutive starts on the defensive line. He finished his collegiate career with 201 tackles (123 solos), 21 sacks (174 yards), and 53 tackles for a loss totaling 249 yards (third on the school's career-record list).

Professional career

Detroit Lions

In the 2003 NFL Draft Redding was drafted by the

in the 3rd round (66th overall). He became the starter at left defensive end prior to the 2004 season. In 2005, he played in all 16 games and set a career-high with 42 tackles (29 solo). He emerged in 2006 as one of the best inside pass-rushers in the NFL after moving from defensive end to tackle. On February 22, 2007, the Lions placed the franchise tag on Redding and he was designated as the team's non-exclusive franchise player. On July 16, the Lions and Redding agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract. The deal included over $16 million in guaranteed money. The move came amid a bit of controversy, as it made Redding the highest paid defensive end in the league. Redding was placed on season-ending

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 th ...

with injuries to his knee and groin on December 12, 2008.

Seattle Seahawks

On March 14, 2009, Detroit traded him and a

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

fifth-round draft pick to the

for linebacker

Julian Peterson Julian Thomas Peterson (born July 28, 1978) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He pl ...

. He was expected to play defensive end on 1st and 2nd downs and play defensive tackle on 3rd downs for extra pass rush.

Baltimore Ravens

Redding signed a two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens on March 22, 2010. Redding intercepted a tipped pass by Drew Brees in a week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints on December 19, 2010 to help seal a big win for the Ravens. It was his first career interception. Redding recorded three sacks on the season. In a divisional playoff game 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 Steel ...

on January 15, 2011, Redding scored his first career touchdown after recovering a fumble by Ben Roethlisberger. Redding had another solid season in 2011, recording 4 sacks and helping the Ravens defense allow the 2nd fewest yards in the league.

Indianapolis Colts

Redding signed with the

on March 14, 2012.

Arizona Cardinals

Redding signed with the

on March 11, 2015. On October 11, 2015, Redding had an interception against the

that he returned 30 yards. On December 27, 2015, Redding returned an

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...

fumble 36 yards for a score against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. In the last game of the regular season against the Seahawks, Redding injured his ankle and was put on Injured Reserve, missing the rest of that game and the playoffs. He was subsequently released on April 18, 2016. He retired on June 29, 2016.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioIndianapolis Colts bioSeattle Seahawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redding, Cory 1980 births Living people Players of American football from Houston American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Texas Longhorns football players Detroit Lions players Seattle Seahawks players Baltimore Ravens players Indianapolis Colts players Arizona Cardinals players North Shore Senior High School (Texas) alumni Ed Block Courage Award recipients