Frank Kearse (born October 28, 1988) is an American former 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 ...

. He was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the seventh round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

. He played

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Alabama A&M Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. It was one of about 180 " normal s ...

. He was also a member of 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 ...

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 ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

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 ...

, and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

The

selected Kearse with the 231st overall pick of the

Carolina Panthers

Played in six games with four starts at nose tackle for

. Inactive during the beginning of the 2011 season. He was released on August 28, 2013.

Tennessee Titans

The

signed Kearse to its

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 November 26, 2013.

Dallas Cowboys

Kearse was signed onto the

' roster from the Titans' practice squad on December 18, 2013. The Cowboys released him on May 12, 2014.

Washington Redskins

On May 17, 2014, Kearse signed with the

. In a Week 2 win against 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 ...

, Kearse recorded one of ten sacks the Redskins had on quarterback

Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines foo ...

. In a Monday Night Football game against 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

in Week 5, Kearse recorded a career-high five combined tackles, including a sack on quarterback

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

. In a Week 7 win against the

, Kearse would record the team's only sack. He would finish the season with 15 total tackles, and 3 sacks. Kearse was released on September 12, 2015 in order to promote linebacker Houston Bates from the team's practice squad, re-signed with the team on September 14. He was released again on September 19 in order to promote linebacker Terrance Plummer from the practice squad, but again re-signed on September 21. He was released for a third time on October 3, but re-signed again two days later.

New England Patriots

On March 11, 2016, Kearse signed with the

. On August 23, 2016, Kearse was released by the Patriots. On August 27, 2016, Kearse cleared waivers and was placed on injured reserve. On September 1, 2016, Kearse was released from the Patriots' injured reserve list with an injury settlement.

References

External links

Alabama A&M Bulldogs football bio

Washington Redskins bio

Carolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearse, Frank 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Savannah, Georgia American football defensive tackles Alabama A&M Bulldogs football players Miami Dolphins players Carolina Panthers players Tennessee Titans players Dallas Cowboys players Washington Redskins players New England Patriots players