 Claiborne with theKansas City Chiefs in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 24, 21, 20 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-02-07)February 7, 1990 (age 35) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Fair Park (Shreveport) | ||||||||||||||
| College | LSU (2009–2011) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2012: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Morris Lee Claiborne (born February 7, 1990) is an American former professionalfootballcornerback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He playedcollege football for theLSU Tigers, winning theJim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country and was recognized as aunanimous All-American. He was selected by theDallas Cowboys sixth overall in the2012 NFL draft.
Claiborne was born inShreveport, Louisiana.[1] He attendedFair Park High School in Shreveport, where he played for the Fair Park Indianshigh school football team.[2] He was a three-star recruit according toRivals.com.[3] He playedquarterback,wide receiver, anddefensive back. As a senior, he had over 2,000 all purpose yards and 30touchdowns as a quarterback.[citation needed]
Claiborne was also on the school'strack & field team, where he competed as a sprinter. He won the100 meters at the 2009 Louisiana Outdoor State Championships, with a career-best time of 10.76 seconds,[4] and also ran the fourth leg on the4 × 100 metres relay squad, helping them earn a first-place finish at 42.06 seconds.[5] He also placed second in the200 meters at the 2009 Region 1-4A Championships, with a personal-best time of 22.21 seconds.[6]
Claiborne attendedLouisiana State University, where he played for coachLes Miles'sLSU Tigers football team from 2009 to 2011.[7][8] After spending his freshman season as a backup in2009, he started 12 games in2010 and recorded 37 tackles and a team-leading fiveinterceptions as a sophomore in 2010, and was named a second-teamAll-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.[9][10] Following hisjunior season in 2011, Claiborne won theJim Thorpe Award, given to the year's best defensive back, earned first-team All-SEC honors, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.[11][12] He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year.[13]
Claiborne was not perceived as a first-round draft pick prior to his junior season.[14][15][16] By midseason, however, he had drawn the attention of NFL scouts and analysts, having erased concerns his sophomore production resulted from playing opposite ofPatrick Peterson.[17][18] Towards the end of his junior season, Claiborne had established himself as one of the best cornerback prospects for the2012 NFL draft.[19][20][21] On January 12, 2012, Claiborne announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the2012 NFL draft.[22] Scouts for the Dallas Cowboys had Claiborne as the highest-graded cornerback in the draft sinceDeion Sanders. Claiborne scored a 4 out of 50 on theWonderlic Test, which is an aptitude test given to NFL prospects to test basic intelligence.[23] After being drafted, Claiborne admitted he "blew the test off" (the Wonderlic test) after seeing that it had "nothing on the test that came with football".[24] Claiborne withheld surgery to repair a wrist injury until after he performed at the NFL Combine and LSU's pro day. He sustained a ligamentous injury to his wrist on November 5, 2011, but elected to play through it for the remainder of the season.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Morris Claiborne's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Morris Claiborne runs the 40-yard dash | |
| 2012 NFL Combine: Morris Claiborne |
| 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 | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.43 s | 1.56 s | 2.58 s | 4.12 s | 7.01 s | 35 in (0.89 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 4 | |
| 40 time and vertical from LSUPro Day[25] | ||||||||||||
TheDallas Cowboys selected Claiborne in the first round (sixth overall) of the2012 NFL draft.[26] The Dallas Cowboys traded their first (14th overall) and second round picks (45th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft to theSt. Louis Rams and received their first round pick (6th overall) which they used to draft Claiborne. Claiborne was the first defensive back drafted in 2012 and was the Cowboys' highest draft pick since they draftedTerence Newman fifth overall in2003.[27]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Cowboys draft Morris Claiborne sixth overall | |
| Morris Claiborne's impact in Dallas |
During the pre-draft process, the Dallas Cowboys did not have a pre-draft visit with Claiborne as they "didn't think it was realistic" he would be available at 14th overall.[28] The Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones stated Claiborne would be the only player the Cowboys would be willing to trade up for in the first round.[29][30][31]
On July 23, 2012, the Cowboys signed Claiborne to a fully guaranteed four-year,$16.4 million contract that includes asigning bonus of $10.3 million.[32]
Claiborne was not able to physically participate at rookie minicamp and organized team activities as he recovered from surgery on his wrist.[33] During training camp, Claiborne competed to be a starting cornerback againstMike Jenkins.[34] Head coachJason Garrett named Claiborne andBrandon Carr the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season. They began the season starting alongside free safetyGerald Sensabaugh, strong safetyBarry Church, and nickelbackOrlando Scandrick.[35]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in theDallas Cowboys' season-opener at theNew York Giants and recorded four solo tackles during their 24–17 victory.[36] On October 21, 2012, Claiborne recorded two combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception as the Cowboys defeated theCarolina Panthers 19–14 in Week 7.[37] Claiborne intercepted a pass by Panthers' quarterbackCam Newton, that was originally intended for wide receiverLouis Murphy, during the second quarter.[38] On December 9, 2012, Claiborne sustained laceration to his face during the third quarter of the Cowboys' 20–19 victory at theCincinnati Bengals in Week 14.[39] The following week, he was inactive and missed the Cowboys' 27–24 win against thePittsburgh Steelers in Week 15. In Week 16, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (nine solo) and deflected two passes during a 34–31 loss to theNew Orleans Saints. He finished his rookie season in2012 with 55 combined tackles (43 solo), eight pass deflections, and one interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[40]
On January 8, 2013, the Dallas Cowboys announced their decision to fire defensive coordinatorRob Ryan after they finished 19th in the league in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed in 2012.[41] On January 11, 2013, the Dallas Cowboys hiredUSC assistant head coachMonte Kiffin to be their new defensive coordinator.[42] Kiffin installed a base4-3 defense with an emphasis on theTampa 2 defensive scheme. Claiborne gained eight pounds during the off-season as the Tampa 2 defense placed an emphasis on press coverages.[43] Claiborne entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback, but sustained numerous injuries that delayed his progress. On July 25, 2013, it was reported that Claiborne had dislocated his pinkie during a one-on-one drill.[44] During training camp, Claiborne jammed his knee and was the sidelined for the rest of camp and the entire preseason.[45]
He started in theDallas Cowboys' season-opener against theNew York Giants and recorded three solo tackles before exiting in the third quarter of their 36–31 victory.[46] Claiborne injured his left shoulder while attempting to tackle Giants' tight endBrandon Myers.[47] In Week 4, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles (six solo) during a 30–21 loss at theSan Diego Chargers.[48] On October 1, 2013, it was reported that the Cowboys had chosen to demote Claiborne to being the third cornerback after he struggled and was replaced by Orlando Scandrick.[49] Claiborne sustained ahamstring injury that sidelined him for two games (Weeks 9–10).[50] In Week 12, Claiborne returned, but further aggravated his hamstring injury during the Cowboys' 24–21 win at theNew York Giants.[51] Claiborne missed four consecutive games (Weeks 13–16) and explained his rehabilitation was delayed due to the death of his father and birth of his daughter.[52] He finished the season with 26 combined tackles (24 solo), five pass deflections, and one interception in ten games and seven starts.[53]
On January 28, 2014, the Dallas Cowboys announced their decision to promote defensive line coachRod Marinelli to defensive coordinator. Former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was named assistant head coach.[54] Claiborne competed against Orlando Scandrick to be a starting cornerback during training camp.[55] Claiborne missed most of the preseason due to knee tendinitis and an AC joint separation.[56] Head coach Jason Garrett named Claiborne and Brandon Carr the starting cornerback tandem to begin the regular season after Orlando Scandrick was suspended for the first two games.[57] On September 21, 2014, Claiborne recorded a season-high three solo tackles, deflected a pass, and made an interception during a 34–31 victory at theSt. Louis Rams in Week 3.[58]
He returned to a reserve role after the third game, even though he made the interception that clinched the win. When told of his demotion from the coaches on September 23, he walked out of the Cowboys' practice facility but returned later that night.[59] On September 28, 2014, Claiborne tore apatellar tendon in his left knee during a 38–17 victory against theNew Orleans Saints. On September 30, 2014, the Dallas Cowboys officially placed Claiborne on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[60][61] He finished the2014 NFL season with seven combined tackles (five solo), two pass deflections, and one interception in four games and three starts.[62]
Claiborne rehabbed his potential career-threatening injury and progressed better than expected, regaining his previous form and being able to avoid missing time intraining camp. Throughout training camp, Claiborne competed to be a starting cornerback against Brandon Carr, Orlando Scandrick, andByron Jones.[63] Head coach Jason Garrett named Claiborne and Brandon Carr the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season after Orlando Scandrick tore his ACL and MCL during the preseason.[64]
In Week 3, he collected a season-high five solo tackles and broke up a pass during a 39–28 loss to theAtlanta Falcons.[65] Claiborne was inactive for two games (Weeks 11–12) due to a hamstring and ankle injury.[66] He re-injured his hamstring and was sidelined for the last three games (Weeks 15–17) of the regular season.[67] Claiborne finished the2015 NFL season with 37 combined tackles (30 solo) and seven pass deflections in 11 games and 11 starts.[68]
On March 11,2016, the Cowboys re-signed Claiborne to a one-year contract worth $3 million, that could reach a maximum of $3.75 million with incentives.[69] In training camp, whileOrlando Scandrick was out recovering from a knee injury, he earned the starting left cornerback position. During the season, he showed the potential that was expected from him since the2012 NFL draft and had his best season with the Cowboys. In the week 4 win against theSan Francisco 49ers, he played a key role in the fourth quarter with an interception and tacklingwide receiverTorrey Smith short of a first down on a crucial 4th-and-6 play, getting the ball back so the Cowboys could run out the clock.[70] In the next game, he limitedAll-ProA. J. Green to four receptions for 50 yards (including a pass breakup of a sure touchdown), contributing to a 28–14 win against theCincinnati Bengals.[71]
Against theGreen Bay Packers, Claiborne had to leave in the third quarter because of a concussion.[72] Unfortunately in the next game after a bye, he severely injured his groin during the Cowboys' overtime win against thePhiladelphia Eagles in week 8.[73] There was a fear that the injury could require season-ending surgery,[74] but the team decided to let it to heal on its own and not place Claiborne on theinjured reserve list. After a nine-game absence, he returned for theDivisional Round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, but he injured his ribs in the first half and had to leave the game with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.[75][76]
On March 18, 2017, Claiborne signed a one-year contract with theNew York Jets, who were looking to replace veteranDarrelle Revis atcornerback.[77][78] Claiborne started 15 games in 2017, the most since his rookie year, recording 43 tackles, eight passes defensed and one interception.[79]
On March 15, 2018, Claiborne signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets.[80] In Week 6, against theIndianapolis Colts, Claiborne recorded a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown againstAndrew Luck in the 42–34 victory.[81] He was placed on injured reserve on December 29, 2018, with an ankle injury.[82] He started 15 games on the season, recording career-highs with 57 tackles, 14 passes defensed, and two interceptions.[83] His 14 pass deflections finished first on the team and his 57 tackles finished fourth on the team.[84]
On August 8, 2019, Claiborne was signed by theKansas City Chiefs to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, with another $1.5 million in potential incentives. He was suspended for the first four games of the season for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.[85] He was reinstated from suspension on September 30, and the Chiefs received a roster exemption for him. He was activated on October 3. On February 2, 2020, the Chiefs wonSuper Bowl LIV, giving Claiborne his first Super Bowl ring despite being inactive for the game.[86] He wasn't re-signed after the season.
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2012 | DAL | 15 | 15 | 55 | 43 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 1 |
| 2013 | DAL | 10 | 9 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | DAL | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | −8 | −8.0 | −8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | DAL | 11 | 11 | 37 | 30 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | DAL | 7 | 7 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | NYJ | 15 | 15 | 43 | 34 | 9 | 0.0 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | NYJ | 15 | 15 | 57 | 44 | 13 | 0.0 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 17T | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | KC | 8 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 85 | 74 | 265 | 213 | 52 | 0.0 | 7 | 64 | 9.1 | 28 | 1 | 49 | 1 | 4 | 50 | 1 | |
