D. J. Swearinger
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Dayarlo Jamal Swearinger Sr. ( ; born September 1, 1991) 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 ...
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
. 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
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 ...
and was selected by 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 second round of the
2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He has also been a member of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
,
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 ...
,
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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
,
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
,
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
,
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 ...
, and
DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...
.


Early life

Swearinger attended Greenwood High School in
Greenwood, South Carolina Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 22,545 down from 23,222 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Lander University. History In 1823 John McG ...
, where he played alongside former
South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern ...
college teammate Kelcy Quarles and Washington Redskins' teammate
Josh Norman Joshua Ricardo Norman (born December 15, 1987) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. ...
. A two-way starter for the Greenwood Eagles
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 ...
team, he rushed for 400 yards and logged 68 tackles and five interceptions as a sophomore. He had 516 rushing yards and nine touchdowns with 93 tackles and an interception as a junior. As a senior, he rushed for 904 yards and 12
touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
and caught 20 passes for 210 yards as a
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
. In addition, he also logged 77
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 ...
, broke up eight passes and caused two
fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
as a
strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...
. He was named second-team All-State selection by
The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...
. He was invited to play at the Shrine Bowl Game of the Carolinas, where he had an interception. Also a standout 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 ...
, Swearinger competed in sprints, hurdles and jumps during the off-season as a junior and senior. At the 2009 Regional Meet, he took sixth in the
100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
(10.81s), second in the
110m hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...
(14.56s) and placed first in the
high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
(6-2 or 1.88m). Regarded as a three-star prospect, Swearinger was considered the 20th-best
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
in the nation and the 14th-best prospect in the state of
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 ...
by ''
Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...
''. He was also rated as a three-star prospect and the nation's 82nd-best safety according to '' Scout.com''. He was considered the state's ninth-best player by
SuperPrep ''Super Prep'' is a former sports magazine that was based in Laguna Beach, California. It was published in 1985 by Allen Wallace, a lawyer. Its main focus is to provide recruiting information on high school football players. In 1987, ''The Boston ...
, and was named to
PrepStar ''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazi ...
's All-Atlantic Region squad. Swearinger originally committed to
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 ...
and also had an offer from
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, among others.


College career

Swearinger received an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
, where he played for coach
Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nicknam ...
's
South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern ...
team from 2009 to 2012. During his college career, he started 33 of 52 games in which he appeared, recording 244 tackles, six
interceptions In ball-playing 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 a player of the same team bu ...
and three
touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
. Following his senior 2012 season, he was a second-team
All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...
(SEC) selection.


Professional career

Coming out of South Carolina, Swearinger was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 27, 2013, he participated at South Carolina's pro day, along with
Marcus Lattimore Marcus Lattimore (born October 29, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, w ...
, Devin Taylor, Ace Sanders, T. J. Johnson, Justice Cunningham, DeVonte Holloman, Akeem Auguste, and ten other prospects. Team representatives and scouts from 31 NFL teams attended as Swearinger opted to run his 40-yard dash (4.65), 20-yard dash (2.68), and 10-yard dash (1.52) again, while also performing positional drills. He was ranked the fourth best free safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the fourth best safety by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock Sr. (born August 14, 1958) is an American former professional football executive and player in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a safety with the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a draft ...
, and was ranked the fifth best safety prospect by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''.


Houston Texans

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 ...
selected Swearinger in the second round (57th overall) of the
2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. Swearinger was the fifth safety selected in the 2013 NFL draft.


2013

On July 22, 2013, the Houston Texans signed Swearinger to a four–year, $3.49 million contract. He competed with
Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college footbal ...
and
Shiloh Keo Shiloh Keo (born December 17, 1987) is an American former professional football safety. Selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft, he played college football for the University of Idaho. Early life Born in Bothell, ...
throughout training camp for the job as starting free safety. Head coach
Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for the Houst ...
named him the third free safety on the Houston Texans' depth chart to begin the regular season. On August 17, 2013, Swearinger hit Miami Dolphins'
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
Dustin Keller's right knee, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL, and also dislocating his knee. While some players deemed the hit as "dirty", Swearinger stated that he went low to avoid a fine and the player was not reprimanded by the NFL. Keller was released three days later and never played another down in the NFL. He made his professional regular season debut in the Houston Texans' season-opener against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
and recorded two solo tackles in their 31–28 victory. On October 13, 2013, he recorded two solo tackles and the Texans' starting
strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...
Danieal Manning was injured with a hairline fracture of his right fibula during a 13–28 loss to the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
. The following week, Swearinger earned his first career start in place of Manning and recorded five solo tackles in a 16–17 loss to 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 ...
. In a Week 10 matchup 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 ...
, he recorded three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and caught the first interception of his career, off of a pass attempt by
Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as ...
during the Texans' 24–27 loss. On December 29, 2013, Swearinger recorded a season-high ten combined tackles in a 10–16 loss to 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 ...
. After accumulating a 2–11 record, head coach Gary Kubiak was fired. He finished his rookie season with a total of 71 combined tackles (54 solo), made four pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and ten starts. He was ranked the 71st best safety in the NFL out of 86 for the NFL season.


2014

Swearinger competed with
Eddie Pleasant Edward Joseph Pleasant (born December 17, 1988) is an American former professional football safety. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at Oregon. Professional career Houston Texans ...
for the vacant starting strong safety job after Daniel Manning departed during the off season via free agency. New Houston Texans' head coach Bill O'Brien named Swearinger the starting strong safety to begin the season. The next preseason, Swearinger was involved in a hit that caused a concussion on
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 ...
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Wes Welker Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American professional football coach and former wide receiver who is a personnel analyst for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL for 12 seasons, mo ...
. On the following play, Broncos' quarterback
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...
confronted Swearinger after completing a touchdown pass to
Emmanuel Sanders Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs footba ...
, later resulting in Manning's first fine in his NFL career. He started the Houston Texans' season-opener against the Washington Redskins' and recorded eight combined tackles and his first career sack on
Robert Griffin III Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RGIII or RG3, is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, most notably with the Washington Redskins. He ...
during their 17–6 victory. On October 26, 2014, he collected three combined tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by Tennessee Titans' quarterback Zach Mettenberger during the Texans' 30–16 victory. The next game, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles, as the Houston Texans lost to 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 ...
21–31. He finished the season with a career-high 73 combined tackles (51 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 12 starts and 16 games.
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
ranked him the 78th best safety out of 87 during the 2014 season. Under Defensive Coordinator
Romeo Crennel Romeo Ashbey Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is an American former football coach. A long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Crennel served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, as we ...
, he was used as a safety/linebacker hybrid and was primarily used in the box for run support. On May 11, 2015, 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 ...
released Swearinger. It was reported they had attempting to trade Swearinger the past few weeks, the main cause being his reluctance to play special teams. He was also involved with multiple incidents including a reported theft involving his truck and his dog biting the Houston Texans' first overall pick in the
2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
,
Jadeveon Clowney Jadeveon Davarus Clowney ( ; born February 14, 1993) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he won the Ted Hendricks Award, and was selected first overall by the Houst ...
(See Personal life).


Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On May 12, 2015, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
claimed Swearinger off of waivers. He competed with Brad McDougald and Major Wright for the Buccaneers' starting strong safety position. Head coach
Lovie Smith Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach. He has served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Smith has be ...
named him the backup strong safety to Major Wright to begin the regular season. Swearinger made his professional regular season debut in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opening against 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 ...
and made five combined tackles in their 14–42 loss. On September 27, 2015, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles in a 9–19 loss to his former team, 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 ...
. He missed Week 9–10 with a toe injury. On November 17, 2015, he was waived. During his stint in Tampa Bay, Swearinger was limited to 12 combined tackles (seven solo) in seven games and primarily played on special teams.


Arizona Cardinals (first stint)


2015

On December 1, 2015, Swearinger was signed to the Arizona 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 December 8, 2015, the Arizona Cardinals promoted him to their active roster with
Tyrann Mathieu Tyrann Devine Mathieu (; born May 13, 1992) is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. In college he developed a reputation for ca ...
out for the season. On December 10, 2015, he made his Arizona Cardinals' debut during a 23–20 victory over the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
. The following week, he earned his first start of the season. and recorded three combined tackles and defended a pass, as the Cardinals 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 ...
40–17. On December 20, 2015, Swearinger made one tackle and forced James Starks to fumble during the 38–8 victory over 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. He finished the season with seven solo tackles, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in four games and one start.


2016

On April 18, 2016, 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 ...
signed Swearinger to a one–year, $1.67 million contract. He entered his first training camp with 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 ...
and competed with
Tony Jefferson Tony Lemar Jefferson Jr. (born January 27, 1992) is an American professional football safety for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and signed with the Arizona Card ...
,
Tyvon Branch Tyvon A. Branch (born December 11, 1986) is an American former professional football safety. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft, and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. He p ...
, and Marqui Christian for the job as the starting safety. Head coach
Bruce Arians Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the h ...
named Tony Jefferson the starting strong safety and Swearinger began the regular season as the backup free safety to
Tyrann Mathieu Tyrann Devine Mathieu (; born May 13, 1992) is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. In college he developed a reputation for ca ...
. On September 18, 2016, Swearinger recorded a pass deflection and intercepted a pass attempt by
Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January6, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, becoming the youngest pl ...
during the Cardinals' 40–7 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. On October 6, 2016, he earned his first start of the season and collected seven combined tackles, deflected a pass, and sacked San Francisco 49ers' quarterback
Blaine Gabbert Blaine Williamson Gabbert (born October 15, 1989) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers before leaving early for the 2011 NFL draft after his junior year. He was selected by the Jack ...
in their 33–21 victory. The following week, Swearinger recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from
Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the ...
during a 28–3 routing of 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 ...
. During a Week 12 matchup against 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 ...
, he earned a season-high seven combined tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt by Matt Ryan, as the Cardinals lost 19–38. On January 1, 2017, he recorded six solo tackles and sacked
Jared Goff Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, setting Pac-12 Conference single- ...
during a 44–6 win against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. He had a resurgence during the season and finished with 66 combined tackles (58 solo), a career-high eight combined tackles, a career-high three interceptions, and a career-high two sacks in 16 games and 12 starts.


Washington Redskins


2017

On March 9, 2017, 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
signed Swearinger to a three–year, $13.5 million contract with $9 million guaranteed to a signing bonus of $4 million. He competed with Su'a Cravens,
Will Blackmon William Edwards Blackmon (born October 27, 1984) is an American former professional football safety and return specialist. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, and was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft by ...
, Earl Wolff, and
Montae Nicholson Montae Nicholson (born December 4, 1995) is an American professional football safety for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourt ...
for the starting free safety job. Head coach
Jay Gruden Jay Michael Gruden (born March 4, 1967) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2019 and as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Jackson ...
named Swearinger the starting free safety to begin the season. His teammates voted him the Washington Redskins' defensive captain, although he was a free agent acquisition and was a new member of the team. Swearinger started the Washington Redskins' season-opener against 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 ...
and made five solo tackle and deflected a pass during their 17–30 loss. He recorded two interceptions against quarterback
Case Keenum Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, where he became the NCAA's all-time l ...
in the Week 10 game against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
.


2018

Swearinger had an impressive outing in a Week 2 loss against 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 ...
, intercepting quarterback
Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is an American football executive and former professional quarterback who is the general manager of the Stanford Cardinal. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons ...
twice to go along with 2 pass deflections. Six weeks later, in a 20–13 win over 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 ...
, Swearinger had another 2 interception performance, his second of the season. Though Swearinger led the Redskins both in interceptions (four) and passes defended (10), on December 24 he was released from the team following critical comments he made publicly towards the team's defensive coordinator
Greg Manusky Gregory Manusky (born August 12, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the inside linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos. Manusky started his coaching career as a linebacker coach for two teams o ...
.


Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On December 25, 2018, Swearinger was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals. On September 30, 2019, Swearinger was released by the Cardinals after playing every snap through four games.


Oakland Raiders

On November 9, 2019, Swearinger was signed by the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
. He was released on December 10, 2019.


New Orleans Saints

Swearinger signed with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
on December 19, 2019. On April 6, 2020, Swearinger was re-signed to a one–year, $1.1 million contract. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
list by the team on January 2, 2021, and activated on January 11.


Indianapolis Colts

On December 28, 2021, Swearinger was signed to 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 ...
' practice squad.


DC Defenders

Swearinger signed with the
DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...
of the XFL on April 5, 2023. He was released on April 30, 2024.


NFL career statistics


References


External links

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South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swearinger, D. J. 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Greenwood, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football safeties South Carolina Gamecocks football players Arizona Cardinals players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Oakland Raiders players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Washington Redskins players New Orleans Saints players Indianapolis Colts players DC Defenders players