Larry Fort Jr. (born January 3, 1990) is an American former professional

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. He played

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at Northern Iowa and was signed by the

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as an

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in 2012. Fort was also a member of the

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, and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

College career

Fort was a three-year starter at Northern Iowa as an outside linebacker. He was a second-team Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2010. The following season, Fort was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and was named a finalist for the NCAA FCS National Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Fort signed with the

as an undrafted free agent and made the 53-man roster for the 2012 regular season opener.

Fort started for the Browns in Week 1 due to injuries to Chris Gocong, James-Michael Johnson, and Emmanuel Acho. He had his first career interception against the Philadelphia Eagles in that game, picking off Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick. Fort played in all 16 regular season games for the Browns, finishing his rookie season with 20 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception.

Denver Broncos

Fort signed a future reserve contract with the

on December 31, 2013. He was released by the Broncos on August 29, 2014.

Seattle Seahawks

On October 22, 2014, Fort was signed to the

practice squad. Fort signed with the team as a fullback. He was activated for one regular season game in 2014.

Cincinnati Bengals

On November 26, 2014, Fort was signed to the Bengals' practice squad. He was released on April 29, 2015.

New England Patriots

On August 4, 2015, Fort signed with the

. Fort was released on August 18, 2015.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On August 19, 2015, Fort signed with the

. Fort was released on September 5 and was re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 28 to replace injured fullback Roosevelt Nix for the team's final game. Fort was released by the Steelers on November 12, 2016, but was re-signed three days later. On September 12, 2017, Fort was waived by the Steelers and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 23, 2017.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 14, 2019, Fort signed a three-year $5.5 million contract with the

. He was released on September 27, 2019, after four games.

Baltimore Ravens

On September 30, 2019, Fort was signed by the

. On October 13, against the

, Fort made his first start as a Raven, registering 2 tackles and a pass defense. During the Ravens 30–16 win over the

, Fort registered six tackles, including two for loss, a quarterback hit and his first quarterback sack as a Raven. On November 8, 2019, he signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract extension with the Ravens after becoming the starter due to injury. On December 8, 2019, Fort sacked

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quarterback

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on a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter. In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the

, Fort forced a fumble on punter

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and later recovered a fumble lost by running back

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during the 38–6 win. In Week 2, against the

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, he had a 22-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 33–16 victory. He was placed on the reserve/

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list by the team on November 3, 2020, and activated four days later. At the start of the 2021 new league year, Baltimore chose not to pick up Fort's option for 2021, allowing him to become a free agent. He re-signed with the team on a one-year contract on April 2, 2021. In 2021, Fort changed his jersey number from #58 to #3 following the relaxation of the NFL's jersey number rules. In the second quarter of the Week 2 preseason game against 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 ...

, Fort tore his ACL, prematurely ending his season. He was placed on injured reserve on August 23, 2021.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Northern Iowa Panthers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fort, LJ 1990 births Living people American football linebackers Baltimore Ravens players Cincinnati Bengals players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players New England Patriots players Northern Iowa Panthers football players People from Waynesville, Missouri Philadelphia Eagles players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Missouri Seattle Seahawks players