Denico Autry (born July 15, 1990) 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 ...

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 ...

for 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 ...

of 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 ...

at East Mississippi Community College and

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

, and was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

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 ...

in 2014.

Early life

Autry played

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 ...

for the Albemarle High School Bulldogs of

Albemarle, North Carolina Albemarle () is a city in and the county seat of Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,432 in the 2020 census. History Etymology This place-name is derived from the English surname Albemarle. According to a 190 ...

. He finished his senior season with 104 solo tackles, 38 assists, 9.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He was named the All-SNAP Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Rocky River Conference Defensive Player of the Year and played in the NCCA East-West All-Star game.

College career

Autry first played college football for the East Mississippi Lions of East Mississippi Community College, helping lead the Lions to a 12–0 record, state championship and

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

national title. He was named 2011 NJCAA Football All-America First-team. He transferred to play for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

from 2012 to 2013. Autry played in 26 games, starting 23. He recorded 73 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles in his two-year career.

College statistics

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

Autry was signed by the

of the NFL on May 20, 2014, after going undrafted 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 ...

. He made his NFL debut on October 2, 2014, 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 ...

, recording two tackles. He played in ten games for the Raiders in 2014, accumulating thirteen combined tackles. Autry played in fourteen games, starting eight, for the team during the 2015 season, totaling 22 combined tackles, three sacks, three passes deflections and one safety. The Raiders offered him a one-year exclusive rights tender on March 9, 2016, which Autry eventually signed. Autry was offered a restricted free agent tender after the conclusion of the 2017 season. He officially signed his tender on April 17, 2017.

Indianapolis Colts

On March 14, 2018, Autry signed a three-year, $17.8 million contract with 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 14, Autry recorded a career-high three sacks and two forced fumbles in a 6–0 loss to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He followed that performance week two, with a pair of sacks in a 24–21 upset win over the

, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Autry finished the 2019 season with 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 14 games played. Autry sat out the last two games of the season after suffering a concussion in Week 15 of the season. Autry made his return from injury in Week 1 against the

. During the game, Autry recorded his first two sacks of the season on Gardner Minshew in the 27–20 loss. In Week 8 against 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 ...

, Autry recorded two sacks on

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

during the 41–21 win. Autry 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 November 20, 2020, and activated on December 3. In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs 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 ...

, Autry sacked

Josh Allen Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming Cow ...

1.5 times and forced a fumble during the 27–24 loss.

Tennessee Titans

On March 18, 2021, Autry signed a three-year, $21.5 million deal with 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 ...

. In 2023, Autry set a career-high and team-leading 11.5 sacks, 50 tackles, and two forced fumbles.

Houston Texans

On March 15, 2024, Autry signed a two-year contract with the

. On July 29, Autry was suspended six games for violating the NFL's performance–enhancing drug policy.

Professional statistics

References

External links

Houston Texans bioEast Mississippi Lions bioNFL Draft Scout
{{DEFAULTSORT:Autry, Denico Living people 1990 births Players of American football from North Carolina People from Albemarle, North Carolina American football defensive ends East Mississippi Lions football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Oakland Raiders players Indianapolis Colts players Tennessee Titans players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen