Nicholas J. McCloud (born July 9, 1998) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

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 has previously played for the

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

, 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 the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. 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 ...

for the

NC State Wolfpack The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subd ...

and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

College career

He played

at Notre Dame and

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

. While playing for Notre Dame in the

2021 Rose Bowl The 2021 Rose Bowl (branded as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2021, with kickoff at 3:00 p.m. CST at AT&T ...

, McCloud went viral after getting hurdled by

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

runningback

Najee Harris Najee Mzee Harris ( ; born March 9, 1998) is an American professional American football, football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football ...

College statistics

Professional career

Buffalo Bills (first stint)

McCloud signed with 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 ...

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 ...

on May 1, 2021. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals

McCloud was claimed off waivers by the

on September 1, 2021. He was waived on November 4, 2021.

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On November 8, 2021, McCloud was signed to the Bills

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 ...

. After the Bills were eliminated in the Divisional Round of the 2021 playoffs, he signed a reserve/future contract on January 24, 2022. He was waived on August 30.

New York Giants

On August 31, 2022, McCloud was claimed off waivers by the

. In a 2023 Week 11 game against the

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 ...

, McCloud recorded an interception, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. McCloud ended the 2023 season with 28 tackles, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and two pass deflections. On November 5, 2024, McCloud was waived by the Giants.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 11, 2024, McCloud was signed to the

practice squad. On November 30, 2024, McCloud was promoted to the active roster.

Chicago Bears

On March 24, 2025, McCloud signed a one-year contract with the

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Chicago Bears bioNC State Wolfpack bioNotre Dame Fighting Irish bio
1998 births Living people Players of American football from South Carolina American football cornerbacks NC State Wolfpack football players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Buffalo Bills players Chicago Bears players Cincinnati Bengals players New York Giants players San Francisco 49ers players 21st-century American sportsmen {{Defensiveback-1990s-stub