Devon Key (born October 28, 1997) is an

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition 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 There are two slightly di ...

for 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 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football for

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogn ...

and was signed by 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

following the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

Early life and education

Devon Key was born on October 28, 1997, in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

. He attended

Bryan Station High School Bryan Station High School, founded in 1958, is a high school within the Fayette County Public Schools system in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. During the 2006–2007 school year, students were moved to their newly built school known as Brya ...

there, playing on offense and defense. He was rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, 247sports.com, and Scout.com. Following his senior year of high school Key accepted a scholarship offer from

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabet ...

, spending his first year of 2016 as a redshirt. As a redshirt-freshman the following year, Key was starting safety to begin the season, making 94 tackles (44 solo, 50 assisted) to rank second on his team and 16th in the conference. He recorded at least nine tackles in five different games. He made his first-career interception in the end zone on November 11 at Marshall. He had a career-high 12 tackles on September 9 at

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. He started all 12 games as a sophomore, compiling 71 tackles to lead the team's defensive backs. He also recorded a team-leading three interceptions. His first interception, against

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, was returned for a 45 yard touchdown. Key also made interceptions during the final two season games. Following the season he was named All-Conference USA honorable mention. Key started 13 games as a junior, making 93 tackles, third on the team. He recorded his second career interception return touchdown against

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

in November. He again was named All-Conference USA honorable mention. He again started every game during his senior season, breaking the FBS-era team record for career tackles, with 350. He finished the year with 92 tackles, one less than the previous year. He was named second-team All-Conference USA following the season.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

After going unselected in the

, Key was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent. He was released at roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on February 2, 2022. On August 30, 2022, Key was waived by the Chiefs.

Atlanta Falcons

On November 15, 2022, Key was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. He was released from the practice squad a week later.

Denver Broncos

On December 20, 2022, Key was signed to the

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023. On August 29, 2023, Key was waived by the Broncos and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.

Personal life

Key's father, Donte, played for the University of Kentucky. His younger brother, Dane, plays as a wide receiver at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's ...

. Key and his girlfriend welcomed a son in August 2020.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Devon 1997 births Players of American football from Kentucky American football safeties Living people Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football players Kansas City Chiefs players Atlanta Falcons players Denver Broncos players