Ryan Russell (American football)

Ryan Kamey Russell (born January 17, 1992) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent.[1] He played college football at Purdue on a football scholarship. He played with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2015 season; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2016 and 2017 seasons; and was signed by the Buffalo Bills for the 2018 season before the team trimmed their roster to meet league regulations.

Ryan Russell
Free agent
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1992-01-17) January 17, 1992
Carrollton, Texas
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High school:Creekview (Carrollton, Texas)
College:Purdue
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 163
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of 2017
Total tackles:21
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Russell attended Creekview High School, where as a senior defensive lineman he registered 62 tackles (17 for loss) and 5 sacks, while being named second-team All-district.

He accepted a scholarship from Purdue University. His best season came as a freshman, playing as a defensive end in a 4-3 defense, registering 11 starts, 33 tackles (4.5 for loss), one sack, 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumbles recovered. The next year, he tallied 13 starts, 37 tackles and 4 sacks.

As a junior the team switched to a 3–4 defense in mid-October and he was moved to the Jack linebacker position, recording 11 starts, 35 tackles (5.5 for loss) and 2 sacks. In his last year he was moved back to defensive end, replacing the graduated Bruce Gaston. He had 44 tackles (6.5 for loss) and 3 sacks, finishing his career as a four-year starter with 149 tackles (25 for loss) and 10 sacks.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4 1⁄4 in
(1.94 m)		 269 lb
(122 kg)		 33 3⁄8 in
(0.85 m)		 10 1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 4.68 s 1.63 s 2.75 s 4.47 s 7.25 s 32 1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[2]

Dallas Cowboys

Russell was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, after dropping because his physical skills didn't match his on-field production. In training camp he was tried at left defensive end and at the three-technique defensive tackle positions. During the season, he appeared in one game and was declared inactive in 11. After being limited with an abdomen strain, he was placed on the injured reserve list on December 2, in order to activate offensive tackle Chaz Green from the reserve/PUP list.[3]

In the 2016 training camp, he was given the chance to start after the suspensions to defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory. On September 3, he was released after struggling during the preseason games.[4] The next day, he was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad.[5] He was released on September 6.[6]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 21, 2016, Russell was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad.[7] He was promoted to the active roster on November 12, and had his first career sack against the Seattle Seahawks.[8] He played in 8 games as a reserve defensive end, collecting 4 tackles and one sack.

In 2017, he appeared in 14 games with 7 starts, while registering 17 tackles. He missed the fifth and sixth games with a dislocated left shoulder, which limited him the rest of the year. His 2 sacks came in each of the final two contests. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Buffalo Bills

On July 29, 2018, Russell signed with the Buffalo Bills.[9] He was released, with thirty-five other teammates, in September 2018 by the Bills to reach the league’s 53-man roster limit.[10] He missed the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury.[11]

Personal life

Following the death of close friend and former teammate Joseph Gilliam in 2018[12], Russell suffered from a severe bout of depression.[11] He moved to Los Angeles and began writing.[11]

In August 2019, he came out publicly as bisexual in an essay for ESPN.[13][14] He did so to live honestly and without fear of being outed; he also cited the fear of not being able to support his mother and grandfather if he lost his career.[11] At the same time he introduced his boyfriend Corey O’Brien, a dancer; they opened Corey & Russ, a YouTube channel; as of June 2020, they have over 15,600 followers.[15][16] If Russell were to sign with an NFL team, he would be the only athlete in the four American major professional sports leagues (National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League) to openly identify as LGBTQ.[17] A former NFL offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan, who came out as gay after he left the league, said that as of August 2019 every NFL team had at least one closeted gay or bisexual player.[18][19] Sarah McBride, national Press Secretary for Human Rights Campaign, praised Russell for "creating more space and opportunity for young LGBTQ people to dream big and to pursue their goals".[17]

References
  1. Ryan Russell and Kevin Arnovitz (August 29, 2019). "No distractions: An NFL veteran opens up on his sexuality". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  2. "Ryan Russell Results". Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  3. "Cowboys add Kellen Moore, Chaz Green to active roster". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  4. Helman, David (September 3, 2016). "Three Former Draft Picks Among Cowboys' Cuts; McFadden Moved To NFI". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018.
  5. Helman, David (September 4, 2016). "Cowboys Sign Sanchez, Release Showers; 7 Added To Practice Squad". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
  6. Helman, David (September 6, 2016). "Two Former Draft Picks Among Trio Added To Cowboys' Practice Squad". DallasCowboys.com.
  7. Smith, Scott (September 21, 2016). "Freddie Martino Promoted to the 53". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  8. Smith, Scott (November 12, 2016). "Gottschalk & Russell Promoted to Active Roster". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018.
  9. "Bills add defensive end Ryan Russell". BuffaloBills.com. July 29, 2018.
  10. "Bills make these moves to reach the 53-man roster limit". BuffaloBills.com. September 1, 2018.
  11. O’Kane, Caitlin (August 30, 2019). "NFL free agent Ryan Russell comes out as bisexual". CBS News. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  12. Neddenriep, Kyle (September 12, 2018). "Former Southport, Purdue football player Joe Gilliam had a smile you wouldn't forget". Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  13. Arnovitz, Kevin (August 29, 2019). "Cowboys add Kellen Moore, Chaz Green to active roster". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  14. Russell, Ryan (August 29, 2019). "No distractions: An NFL veteran opens up on his sexuality". ESPN. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  15. Grant, David (November 27, 2019). "PHOTOS: NFL player Ryan Russell spotted getting cozy with his boyfriend". Queerty. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  16. "Corey & Russ". YouTube. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  17. Vigdor, Neil (August 30, 2019). "Ryan Russell, N.F.L. Free Agent, Comes Out as Bisexual: 'It's So Much Better Than Hiding'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  18. Henderson, Taylor (August 29, 2019). "NFL Star Ryan Russell Comes Out As Bisexual". Pride.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  19. Taylor, Jeff (August 28, 2019). "Every NFL Team Has Gay or Bi Players, Says Former Pro Footballer". LOGO News. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
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