Nathan Gerry (born February 23, 1995) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. 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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and was drafted by 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 ...

in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and

Washington Commanders 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) East division ...

Early life

Gerry grew up in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, and 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 ...

and ran track for Washington High School. Gerry was the 200-meter high school champion in South Dakota during his junior and senior years and set a state-record 21.52 seconds. As a senior, Gerry also won the 100 meter race. In his senior year playing football, Gerry had 64

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 ...

, including 13 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, five

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

s and two forced

fumble 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 h ...

s. He committed to play

at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

College career

In Gerry's freshman year he had 32 tackles, including 18 stops. In Gerry's sophomore season he switched from

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 ...

. Gerry started every game and led the Huskers with five interceptions and was second on the team for tackles with 88. Gerry started every game in 2015 and led the Huskers with 79 tackles and 4 interceptions. He also had 7 pass breakups. In 2016, Gerry was named Third-team All-Big Ten Conference by the coaches and Second-team All-Big Ten by the media. He was ruled ineligible for his final game with the Huskers, the

Music City Bowl The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998 in sports, 1998. Since 2020, it has been sponsored by ...

versus Tennessee Volunteers.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Gerry was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 184th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the Eagles on May 12, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Eagles'

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 ...

the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 19, 2017. On February 4, 2018, Gerry won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles. In week 5 of the 2019 season against 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 ...

, Gerry recorded an interception off

Luke Falk Lucas Andrew Falk (born December 28, 1994) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback. He played college football at Washington State Cougars football, Washington State, and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in ...

and returned it for a 51 yard touchdown in the 31–6 win. In week 11 against the

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 ...

, Gerry recorded a team high 10 tackles and sacked

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

once in the 17–10 loss. Gerry 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 Eagles on July 29, 2020. He was activated on August 9, 2020. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 30, 2020 with an ankle injury.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 29, 2021, Gerry signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released with an injury waiver on July 6, 2021. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 8, 2021, but was released on November 2, 2021.

Washington Commanders

Gerry signed with the

on August 7, 2022. He was placed on injured reserve on August 23, 2022, and was released with an injury settlement two days later. He signed with the Commanders' practice squad on November 3. On January 4, 2023, he was signed to the active roster. Gerry signed a one-year contract extension on March 1, 2023, but was released on May 23, 2023.

References

External links

Nebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerry, Nate Living people 1995 births Players of American football from Sioux Falls, South Dakota American football safeties American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players Washington Commanders players Washington High School (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) alumni