Quinton Coples
refer to caption
Coples signing autographs in April 2013
No. 98
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1990-06-22) June 22, 1990 (age 33)
Kinston, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Kinston
College:North Carolina (2008–2011)
NFL draft:2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:111
Sacks:16.5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Quinton Kyle Coples[1] (born June 22, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.

Coples spent parts of his first five seasons in the NFL with the Jets, becoming a starter during his second season with the team in 2013. After being released by the Jets partway during the 2015 season, he was acquired by the Miami Dolphins where he spent the rest of the season as a backup. After being released by the Dolphins during the 2016 offseason, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, but was released before the season began.

High school career

Coples attended Kinston High School, and later transferred to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. He was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Quinton Coples
DE 		Kinston, North Carolina Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 4.8 Jan 18, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 21 (DE)   Rivals: 105, 3 (DE), 4 (V)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  • "2008 North Carolina Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 1, 2012.

College career

As a junior in 2010 Coples was named a first team All-ACC selection after recording 59 tackles and 10 sacks.[3] Coples finished college with 144 tackles, 24 sacks and 5 Forced fumbles.[4]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
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
6 ft 5+3⁄4 in
(1.97 m) 		284 lb
(129 kg) 		33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m) 		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 4.78 s 1.68 s 2.81 s 4.78 s 7.57 s 31.5 in
(0.80 m)		 9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		 25 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[5][6]

Coples was considered one of the best defensive end prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft.[5]

New York Jets

Coples was selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.[7][8] He signed a four-year contract worth $8.8 million on May 17, 2012.[9][10] During his rookie season of 2012, Coples compiled with 30 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The Jets finished 6–10 (tied 3rd in AFC East) that season.

With the acquisition of Sheldon Richardson in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Jets announced that Coples would transition to outside linebacker.[11] During a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 17, 2013, Coples suffered a hairline ankle fracture after defending a pass thrown by Chad Henne. The Jets projected that Coples was going to be out indefinitely due to the injury but he eventually returned during Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills on September 22, 2013. During the 2013 season, Coples performed well adjusting to outside linebacker playing 14 games (13 started) with 38 tackles, a forced fumble, 3 passes defended, and 4.5 sacks. The Jets finished 8–8 (tied 2nd in AFC East) that season.

In 2014, Coples played all 16 games with 15 starts mostly at the outside linebacker position and made 35 tackles with 6.5 sacks along with a forced fumble. The Jets plummeted to a 4-12 record, their worst record since 2007.

The Jets picked up the fifth-year, $7.8 million option of Coples' contract on April 23, 2015.[12] Coples began to see limited playing time in 2015 due to lackluster performance, as he only made 8 tackles along with a fumble recovery in 10 games. The Jets waived Coples on November 23, 2015.[13]

Miami Dolphins

On November 24, 2015, Coples was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.[14] He was released by the Dolphins on February 12, 2016.[15]

Los Angeles Rams

On March 16, 2016, Coples signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams.[16] He was released by the Rams on August 29, 2016.[17]

References

  1. ^ "ESPN Profile". ESPN.com.
  2. ^ "Rivals.com". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Seven Tar Heels Named To All-ACC Teams Archived December 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Quinton Coples Statistics". sports-reference.com.
  5. ^ a b "Quinton Coples". NFL Draft Scout. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  6. ^ "Quinton Coples". National Football League. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "2012 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Lange, Randy (April 26, 2012). "Jets Rush to Take Quinton Coples at No. 16". New York Jets. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Vrentas, Jenny (May 17, 2012). "Jets agree to four-year deal with first-round pick Quinton Coples". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  10. ^ Mehta, Manish (May 18, 2012). "Source: Jets sign veteran safety Yeremiah Bell to a one-year, $1.4 million deal". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  11. ^ Glauber, Bob (May 2, 2013). "Quinton Coples excited about switch to outside linebacker". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  12. ^ Sessler, Marc (April 23, 2015). "Jets pick up Quinton Coples' fifth-year option". NFL.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  13. ^ Allen, Eric. "Jets Waive Quinton Coples". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  14. ^ Hanzus, Dan (November 24, 2015). "Dolphins claim ex-Jets LB Quinton Coples off waivers". NFL.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  15. ^ Sessler, Marc (February 12, 2016). "Miami Dolphins cut Quinton Coples, Brice McCain". nfl.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 16, 2016). "Quinton Coples agrees to 2-year contract with Rams". NFL.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  17. ^ Bain, Nate (August 30, 2016). "Rams Announce First Round of Roster Cuts". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017.

External links

2012 NFL Draft first-round selections
New York Jets first-round draft picks
New York Jets 2012 NFL Draft selections
Categories