Terrance Knighton

Terrance O'Neil Knighton (born July 4, 1986) is an American football coach and former defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft after playing college football at Temple. Knighton is nicknamed "Pot Roast" and "Mutton Chop" by his teammates. He has also played for the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and spent time with the New England Patriots prior to the 2016 NFL season.

Terrance Knighton
refer to caption
Knighton with the Denver Broncos in 2013
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Position:Defensive line coach
Personal information
Born: (1986-07-04) July 4, 1986
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:355 lb (161 kg)
Career information
High school:Windsor (CT)
College:Temple
NFL Draft:2009 / Round: 3 / Pick: 72
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:230
Sacks:14.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:2
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Knighton attended Windsor High School in Connecticut, where he played both tight end and defensive line, and was teammates with Chris Baker. He earned All-State honors from the coaches association and Hartford Courant All-Area accolades in 2003. He was also a basketball varsity member, earning All-CCC West League honors.

In 2004, he attended Milford Academy in New Berlin, New York, where he again played on both sides of the ball. He made 70 tackles and six sacks in 2004.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Knighton chose Temple University after being denied admission to UCF, the only two scholarship offers he received.[1]

College career

As a true freshman at Temple, Knighton played in 10 games as a reserve before earning a start in the season finale at Navy. For the year, he registered 17 tackles (10 solo), 3.5 TFLs and one forced fumble.

Knighton became a regular starter as a sophomore, and made 57 tackles (32 solo), 6.5 TFLs, three sacks, two FFs, two QBHs and four PBUs over the season. As a junior, he finished the season with 8.5 TFL and a team-best three fumble recoveries.

A team captain as a senior in 2008, Knighton finished the season with 54 tackles, including 35 solos, five break-ups, a team-best three fumble recoveries, a hurry, and blocked kick, and a sack. He became Temple's first First Team All-MAC honoree in school history.

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

Despite an up-and-down career, Knighton's draft stock had risen quickly after strong workouts. He was selected in the third round (72nd overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was considered a "gamble" or a "reach" by most commentators.[2][3][4] Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline described Knighton as "an athletic defensive tackle who struggles with weight issue", and who "has too much downside for a mid-third-round choice".[5]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench pressWonderlic
6 ft 3+1⁄8 in
(1.91 m)		 321 lb
(146 kg)		 5.22 s1.76 s2.93 s4.78 s7.91 s28 in
(0.71 m)		8 ft 7 in
(2.62 m)		X X
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Knighton was signed by the Jaguars to a four-year contract on July 31, 2009. His contract, which includes veteran minimum salaries, plus a fourth-year escalator to $1.3 million, could reach nearly $3.32 million. He also received a signing bonus of $843,500.[6] At the end of the 2009 season, Coach Jack Del Rio said, "Terrance Knighton is going to be a real good player. It wasn't an accident before the game that he was made a team captain for the game. I'm counting on him to lead the way."[7]

Knighton's career was placed in jeopardy by a serious injury to his eyeball in a bar incident on April 8, 2012.[8] Knighton was able to recover from the incident however, and returned to the field wearing a dark visor at all times.

On November 16, 2012, Knighton was fined $21,000 for a late hit against the Indianapolis Colts on Week 10.[9]

He became a free agent after the 2012 season.

Denver Broncos

On March 13, 2013, Knighton was signed to two-year contract by the Denver Broncos,[10] where his former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio was the defensive coordinator at that time. In his first season with Denver, Knighton recorded 31 tackles, 3 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception. In the AFC Championship Game, Knighton sacked Tom Brady on a crucial 4th down. His efforts helped the Broncos enter Super Bowl XLVIII, their first postseason finals game in almost 15 years, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8.[11]

When the Broncos signed DeMarcus Ware in March 2014, Knighton changed his jersey number from 94 to 98 in order for Ware to have it. Ware previously wore number 94 for nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Washington Redskins

On March 12, 2015, Knighton signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Washington Redskins.[12] He played in 15 games for the Redskins in 2015.[13]

New England Patriots

On March 31, 2016, Knighton signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the New England Patriots.[14] Knighton was released on August 29, 2016.[15]

Retirement

On April 12, 2017, Knighton announced his retirement from the NFL to pursue a career in coaching.[16]

NFL awards and honors

Coaching career

Knighton joined the coaching staff at Wagner in 2019 as defensive line coach.[20][21] He joined the Carolina Panthers coaching staff as a coaching assistant in 2021.[22]

On November 29, 2022, Knighton left the Panthers to join Matt Rhule's coaching staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the new defensive line coach.[23]

Personal life

Knighton earned the nickname Pot Roast when former Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram overheard Knighton's meal order on a road trip.[24] He has been childhood friends with Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Chris Baker since high school, where the two of them were teammates.[25] The two would be teammates again for one season in their professional careers when Knighton signed with the Redskins in 2015. Knighton also served as Baker's best man in his wedding to ESPN talent producer, Jamila Phillips.[26]

In 2009, he visited the NFL-YET center in Jacksonville with teammates Cecil Newton and Julius Williams to sign autographs and provide Thanksgiving dinner for 30 families.[27]

Knighton suffered an eye injury during a late night incident at a Jacksonville nightclub.[8] He temporarily lost vision and required surgery to remove a cataract that formed for protection. His vision slowly returned.[28]

Knighton appeared in a series of commercials for Bridgestone tires, including "Empty Fridge"[29] and "Treadmill."[30]

References
  1. Schmadtke, Alan (January 7, 2005). "Bernhardt Gets New Ucf Duties". Orlando Sentinel.
  2. "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  3. "Pro Football War Room: Terrance Knighton". SportingNews.com. April 30, 2009.
  4. Rang, Rob (June 21, 2009). "Diamonds in the rough: D rookies on faster track". NFLDraftScout.com.
  5. Pauline, Tony (April 26, 2009). "Steals and reaches from the 2009 NFL draft". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  6. Wright, Michael C. (August 1, 2009). "Knighton signs with Jaguars; Monroe and Britton unsigned". Florida Times-Union.
  7. Stellino, Vito (January 3, 2010). "Garrard: This is "a bad taste we have to live with"". jacksonville.com. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  8. "Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton undergoes surgery to repair eye injury". jacksonville.com. April 8, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  9. "Fines roundup: Tim Dobbins of Texans fined for Jay Cutler hit". National Football League. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  10. "Terrance Knighton signs with Denver Broncos". Nfl.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  11. "Super Bowl XLVIII - Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos - February 2nd, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  12. Wesseling, Chris. "Terrance Knighton set to sign with Redskins". NFL.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  13. "Terrance Knighton Stats".
  14. Hanzus, Dan (March 31, 2016). "Terrance Knighton signing one-year deal with Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  15. Reiss, Mike. "Why it didn't work out for Terrance Knighton with Patriots". ESPN. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  16. Wesseling, Chris (April 13, 2017). "Terrance 'Pot Roast' Knighton says he's retiring". NFL.com.
  17. "2009 All-Rookie Team". Footballsfuture.com. September 28, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  18. "Receivers, 'backers stand out on All-Rookie team". ProFootballWeekly.com. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  19. "2009 NFL All-Rookie Team - NFL". Sporting News. January 14, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  20. "Wagner Tabs Former NFL Player Terrance Knighton As Assistant Football Coach". SiLive.com. January 3, 2018.
  21. "Wagner Tabs Former NFL Player Terrance Knighton As Assistant Coach". Northeast Conference. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  22. "Panthers promote Frank Okam to DL coach, hire Terrance Knighton as assistant". NBC Sports. February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  23. "Terrance Knighton, Corey Campbell leaving Panthers to join Matt Rhule at Nebraska". nbcsports.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  24. "Pot Roast looks back - Jaguars news on". Jaguars.com. January 21, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  25. Herting, Chris (March 22, 2013). "Friends' Pact Turns Dream Come True". Redskins.com. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  26. Robertson, Erin (March 16, 2015). "Redskins lineman Chris Baker weds ESPN's Jamila Phillips at the W Hotel". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  27. "Jaguars in the Community". jacksonville.com. November 24, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  28. Fox Sports. "Florida | FOX Sports on MSN". Foxsportsflorida.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  29. "Bridgestone: Empty Fridge". ispot.tv. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  30. "Bridgestone: Treadmill". ispot.tv. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
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