Stephen Denmark (born April 20, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football at Valdosta State. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft. Denmark has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and San Antonio Brahmas.

Stephen Denmark
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Denmark with the Houston Roughnecks in 2023
Personal information
Born: (1996-04-20) April 20, 1996 (age 28)
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:James S. Rickards
College:Valdosta State
Position:Cornerback
NFL draft:2019 / round: 7 / pick: 238
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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At James S. Rickards High School, Denmark ran track and played for the football team. In 2013, Rickards reached the Class 5A state playoffs with a 9–2 record; Denmark had 49 receptions for 851 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with two kickoff return touchdowns.[1]

College career

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Denmark attended Valdosta State, where he played wide receiver for three years. In 2018, Denmark converted to cornerback, where he recorded 55 tackles and three interceptions as Valdosta State won the NCAA Division II Football Championship.[1]

Professional career

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Chicago Bears

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Denmark was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round (238th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[2] Before the draft, Denmark worked out with Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend and assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly.[3] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13.[4] On August 31, 2019, the Bears released Denmark as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[5][6] On December 30, 2019, Denmark was signed to a reserve/future contract.[7] After being waived on September 5, 2020,[8] Denmark was added to the practice squad a day later.[9] He was released on October 5.[10]

Cleveland Browns

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On November 10, 2020, Denmark was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad.[11] Denmark was released from the Browns' practice squad on December 1, 2020.[12]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On January 21, 2021, Denmark signed a reserve/future contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[13] He was waived on August 17, 2021.[14]

Green Bay Packers

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On August 25, 2021, Denmark signed with the Green Bay Packers.[15] On August 31, 2021, Packers released Denmark as part of their final roster cuts.[16]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

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On March 23, 2022 it was announced that Denmark had signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[17]

San Antonio Brahmas

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On November 17, 2022, Denmark was drafted by the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL.[18] He signed with the team on February 21, 2023. He was waived from the reserve list on April 5, 2023.[19]

Houston Roughnecks

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On April 5, 2023, Denmark was claimed off waivers by the Houston Roughnecks.[19] He was released on June 22, 2023.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Henry, Jim (April 27, 2019). "Former Rickards star Denmark drafted by Chicago Bears". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "Pace, Nagy believe Bears small draft class can yield big bang for their buck". Southwest Daily News. April 27, 2019. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Mayer, Larry (April 27, 2019). "Bears pick CB Denmark in seventh round". Chicago Bears. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Campbell, Rich (May 13, 2019). "Bears sign draft picks Riley Ridley, Kerrith Whyte and Stephen Denmark". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 31, 2019). "Chicago Bears announce 53-man roster". Chicago Bears. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  6. ^ Infante, Jacob (September 1, 2019). "Bears 10-man practice squad tracker". Windy City Gridiron.
  7. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 30, 2019). "Roster Moves: Bears ink nine to reserve/future contracts". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Mayer, Larry (September 5, 2020). "Roster Moves: Chicago Bears announce 53-man roster". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Mayer, Larry (September 6, 2020). "Roster Moves: Bears sign 16 to practice squad". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  10. ^ Mayer, Larry (October 5, 2020). "Roster Moves: Bears sign RB Miller to practice squad". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  11. ^ "Browns sign CB Stephen Denmark, C Javon Patterson to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 10, 2020.
  12. ^ "Browns activate DE Myles Garrett, place S Ronnie Harrison on IR". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Varley, Teresa (January 21, 2021). "Steelers sign four to Reserve/Future contracts". Steelers.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  14. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 17, 2021). "Steelers reduce roster to 85 players". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Packers place WR Devin Funchess on IR, sign two". packers.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  16. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". packers.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  17. ^ "Roughriders add American DB Denmark". TSN.ca. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
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