.jpg) Kazee with theAtlanta Falcons in 2019 | |||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1993-06-05)June 5, 1993 (age 32) San Bernardino, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Cajon (San Bernardino, California) | ||||||||||||
| College | San Diego State (2012–2016) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 5th round, 149th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Damontae Tyron Kazee (born June 5, 1993) is an American professionalfootballsafety. He was selected by theAtlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the2017 NFL draft. He playedcollege football atSan Diego State.
Kazee attendedCajon,[1][2] where he was a two-way player atcornerback andrunning back. As a senior in 2011, he registered 27tackles, 2interceptions, one forcedfumble, 4 rushingtouchdowns and 4 receiving touchdowns. He was a three-time All-CIF selection.
He alsolettered inbasketball andtrack.
Kazee accepted a football scholarship fromSan Diego State, following in the footsteps of his older brother Walter, who was arunning back with the Aztecs.[3]
As aredshirt freshman he appeared in 13 games as a backup cornerback, missing the eighth against theUniversity of New Mexico with a concussion. He made 41 tackles (3 for loss), one interception, 2 pass breakups, one sack, 4 forced fumbles (tied for fourth in school history) and one blocked kick. He had 4 and one tackle against theEastern Illinois University. He made 6 tackles and one interception againstOhio State University. He had 5 tackles and one forced fumble againstOregon State University.
As a sophomore, he started all 13 games at cornerback, posting 58 tackles (4 for loss), one 13 pass breakups (led the team), one fumble recovery and 2 quarterback hurries. He had four tackles (three solo) and 3 pass breakups againstUNLV. He made 5 tackles againstFresno State University. He had 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups against the University of New Mexico. He made 6 tackles, 2 pass breakups and one interception against theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He had 7 tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback pressure againstBoise State University.
As a junior, he started 14 games at cornerback, collecting 75 tackles (5.5 for loss), 58 solo tackles (led the team), 8 interceptions (second in school history), 7 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. He had 3 tackles (2 for loss) and 3 interceptions (tied for second in school history) against theUniversity of San Diego. He made 7 tackles and one pass breakup against theUniversity of California. He had 11 tackles (10 solo), one pass breakup and one forced fumble against theUniversity of South Alabama. He made 8 tackles (0.5 for loss) againstPenn State University. He made 9 tackles (one for loss) and one interception againstSan Jose State University. He had 7 tackles, one interception returned for a touchdown and one forced fumble againstColorado State University.
As a senior, he started 14 games at cornerback, registering 65 tackles (3 for loss), 7 interceptions (fourth in school history), one interception returned for a touchdown, 156 interception return yards (second in the conference), 8 pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. He set a school record for career interceptions (17) and became the first player in school history with 6 or more interceptions in consecutive seasons. He had 6 tackles, 3 pass breakups and one interception against the University of California. He made 5 tackles, one interception and one quarterback hurry againstNorthern Illinois University. He had 5 tackles and one interception at Fresno State University. He had 4 tackles, 2 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and one pass breakup against theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
On November 14, 2016, it was announced that Kazee accepted his invitation to appear in the2017 Senior Bowl.[4] On January 28, 2017, he appeared in the Senior Bowl and helpedCleveland Browns head coachHue Jackson's South team defeat the North 16–15. His overall performance impressed scouts and raised his draft stock.[5] He was one of 35 collegiate cornerbacks to receive an invitation to theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana.[6] He performed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip theshort shuttle andthree-cone drill.
On March 23, 2017, he attended San Diego State'sPro Day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and performed positional drills, the short shuttle, and three-cone drills for scouts and team representatives from 29 NFL teams that attended, includingLos Angeles Chargers defensive coordinatorGus Bradley.[7] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kazee was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by the majority ofNFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 22nd best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄4 in (1.78 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.54 s | 1.60 s | 2.65 s | 4.27 s | 7.11 s | 34 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | 11 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[9] | ||||||||||||
Kazee was selected by theAtlanta Falcons in the fifth round (149th overall) of the2017 NFL draft.[10] On May 9, 2017, the Falcons signed Kazee to a four-year, $2.68 million contract with asigning bonus of $288,922.[11]
Kazee entered training camp competing againstBrian Poole for the starting nickel back role. Head coachDan Quinn opted to transition him tofree safety in July and Kazee showed promise throughout training camp in his new role.[12] He was named the backup free safety toRicardo Allen to start the2017 season.[13]
He made his professional regular season debut in the Falcons' season-opener at theChicago Bears and made two solo tackles and forced a fumble in their 23–17 victory. On October 1, 2017, Kazee earned his first career start after Ricardo Allen was unable to play after suffering aconcussion the previous week. He finished the Falcons' 23–17 loss to theBuffalo Bills with a season-high nine combined tackles and a forced fumble. He finished the season with 23 combined tackles (14 solo) and two forced fumbles in one start and 16 games.[14]
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Kazee entered the 2018 season as the backup strong safety toKeanu Neal. He was named the starter following a season-ending injury to Neal in Week 1. During Week 2 against theCarolina Panthers, Kazee was ejected for making a helmet-to-helmet hit onCam Newton. The Falcons won 31–24.[15] In Week 3, he recorded a season-high 10 combined tackles. Kazee ended the 2018 season third on the team with 82 combined tackles, and tied for the league lead with seven interceptions withKyle Fuller andXavien Howard.[16]
In Week 11 against theCarolina Panthers, Kazee recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown byKyle Allen in the 29–3 win.[17] In Week 14 against the Panthers, Kazee forced a fumble on wide receiverGreg Dortch during a kickoff return which was recovered by kickerYounghoe Koo and recorded 2 more interceptions off passes thrown by Kyle Allen during the 40–20 win.[18] Kazee finished the 2019 season with 74 combined tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
In week 4 of the2020 NFL season against theGreen Bay Packers, Kazee tore his Achilles' tendon, ending his season. He finished the season with 20 tackles and 1 forced fumble. He was placed oninjured reserve on October 7, 2020.[19] He finished his career with the Falcons with 199 tackles, 10 interceptions, 13 pass breakups and 5 forced fumbles.
On March 29, 2021, Kazee signed as afree agent with theDallas Cowboys, reuniting withdefensive coordinatorDan Quinn, who was his head coach with the Falcons.[20] He was able to recover from his Achilles injury and begin participating in theorganized team activities. He appeared in 17 games with 15 starts at free safety, making 54 defensive tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 2special teams tackles. He also started in the playoff game against theSan Francisco 49ers, collecting 9 tackles.
On May 3, 2022, Kazee signed a one-year contract with thePittsburgh Steelers.[21] He suffered a fractured forearm in the preseason and was placed on the injured reserve on September 1, 2022.[22] He was suspended three games for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy on September 21, 2022.[23] He was activated on November 10. He appeared in 9 games with 4 starts (two due to injury and two in the three-safety package), while registering 19 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 passes defensed.
On March 14, 2023, Kazee signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers.[24]
During the Week 15 game against theIndianapolis Colts, Kazee was ejected from the game in the second quarter for making a hit to Coltswide receiverMichael Pittman Jr.'s head while Pittman was trying to make a catch, which resulted in a 15-yardpenalty and Pittman being ruled out for the rest of the game with aconcussion.[25][26] On December 18, the NFL announced that Kazee would be suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season.[27] After submitting an appeal, the NFL upheld the suspension but would allow Kazee to play in the playoffs for the Steelers should they make it in.[28]
On May 12, 2025, Kazee signed with theCleveland Browns.[29] In four games for the Browns, he recorded no tackles. Kazee was released by Cleveland on November 3.[30]
On October 19, 2021, Kazee was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence after he was pulled over for a traffic violation inThe Colony, Texas.[31]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TfL | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2017 | ATL | 16 | 1 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | ATL | 16 | 15 | 82 | 60 | 22 | 0.0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 54 | 7.7 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | ATL | 16 | 14 | 74 | 46 | 28 | 0.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 17.7 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | ATL | 4 | 4 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | DAL | 17 | 15 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | PIT | 9 | 4 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | PIT | 14 | 9 | 61 | 46 | 15 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 92 | 62 | 332 | 229 | 103 | 0.0 | 3 | 22 | 16 | 166 | 10.4 | 33 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
Media related toDamontae Kazee at Wikimedia Commons