Sam Kamara

Sam Kamara (born December 21, 1997) is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Kamara played college football at Stony Brook.

Sam Kamara
Kamara at Stony Brook in 2019
No. 46 – Chicago Bears
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-21) December 21, 1997
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:288 lb (131 kg)
Career information
High school:Carteret (NJ)
College:Stony Brook (2016–2020)
Undrafted:2021
Career history
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-CAA (2020)
  • Second-team All-CAA (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2021
Total tackles:5
Games played:5
Games started:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life and high school

Kamara was raised in Carteret, New Jersey. He attended Carteret High School, where he played on both sides of the ball, also scoring seven touchdowns as the team's fullback.[1] Kamara earned first-team All-Conference honors as well as the Mini Max award, a New Jersey accolade based on performance, academic achievement and community service.[2] His head coach compared him favorably to fellow Carteret standout Jason Worilds, a second-round draft pick from Virginia Tech in 2010. Although Kamara earned FCS offers from colleges including Maine, Monmouth and Stony Brook, the only FBS school to show interest in him was Pittsburgh.[3]

College career

Kamara played in eight games in his freshman season in 2016, making three starts. His first career start came on October 29, 2016, against New Hampshire, where he became the first true freshman to start a game for Stony Brook in the season.[4] In his sophomore season, Kamara started all thirteen games at defensive end, recording 31 tackles and a sack.

Kamara led the team with nine sacks in his 2018 junior season, also recording 42 tackles with 11.5 for loss. He set a collegiate career high with seven tackles against Air Force, and also recorded six tackles and 2.5 sacks against Southeast Missouri State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.[5] He was named second-team All-CAA after the season.[6] Before his senior season, Kamara was named one of three team captains by head coach Chuck Priore and saw his name floated as a potential NFL draft pick, with NFLPA scouting director Dane Vandernat declaring that Kamara "possesses all the physical attributes that pro scouts require."[7][8] However, he played only five games before suffering a shoulder injury and missing the rest of the season.[9] Kamara was granted a waiver by the NCAA to return for a fifth year in 2020, but the season was postponed to the spring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] In the shortened spring season, Kamara recorded 12 tackles and two sacks in three games, earning first-team All-CAA honors as a defensive lineman.[12]

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Kamara signed with the Chicago Bears following the 2021 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent.[13] Designated as the fourth-string linebacker in the team's first depth chart, Kamara made his preseason debut on August 14, 2021, against the Miami Dolphins, where he recorded one tackle.[14][15] In week 2 of preseason against the Buffalo Bills, Kamara recorded a sack.[16] He ended preseason with six tackles, three quarterback hits and a sack.[17] He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[18][19] Kamara was promoted to the active roster on October 12 due to a season ending injury to teammate Jeremiah Attaochu.[20]

Kamara made his NFL debut on October 17 against the Green Bay Packers and recorded his first tackle on Aaron Jones.[21][22] Kamara played 29 snaps the next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[23] He was waived by the team on November 3 and re-signed to the practice squad.[24] He was flexed to the active roster ahead of the Bears' Monday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded two tackles in his first multi-tackle game.[25] Kamara was flexed to the active roster for the Bears' Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions, where he was Chicago's third-highest graded defensive player before exiting the game with a concussion.[26]

References
  1. "Sam Kamara - Football". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. Peraino, Chris (February 5, 2016). "Football adds to roster on Signing Day". The Statesman. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  3. Tufaro, Greg. "Pitt football continues to mine Middlesex County; offers Carteret's Kamara a visit". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  4. "Stony Brook falls at New Hampshire". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. "Stony Brook Falls at Air Force in Season Opener". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  6. "Infantino's Boone Award leads 11 Seawolves to be Honored by CAA Football". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  7. "Priore Names White, Heslop and Kamara as 2019 Team Captains". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  8. "Sam Kamara - Stony Brook Seawolves - news and analysis, statistics, game logs, depth charts, contracts, injuries". www.nbcsportsedge.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. Tam, Ethan (September 18, 2020). "Sam Kamara's fifth season to play out differently than planned". The Statesman. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  10. "Happy New Year, Indeed! Lineman Sam Kamara to Remain with Football Team in 2020". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  11. "Stony Brook's Sam Kamara Is Back & He's Ready To Wreak Havoc - FloFootball". www.flofootball.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  12. "CAA Football Honors Four Seawolves with All-Conference Honors". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  13. Borden, Marcus. "Football: Carteret's Kamara signs with Bears as undrafted free agent". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  14. "Bears announce first unofficial depth chart". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  15. "Sam Kamara (DE): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  16. "9 toughest cuts from our Bears 53-man roster prediction". Bears Wire. August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  17. "Football Alumnus Sam Kamara to Join Chicago Bears 53-Man Roster". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  18. Mayer, Larry (August 31, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears announce 53-man roster". ChicagoBears.com.
  19. Mayer, Larry (September 1, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears sign 13 players to practice squad". ChicagoBears.com.
  20. Mishler-Elmore, Beth (October 13, 2021). "Bears Sign LB, Promote Another to Active Roster Amid Injury Issues". Heavy.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  21. Tam, Ethan (October 19, 2021). "Stony Brook's Sam Kamara records first tackle in NFL debut with Chicago Bears". The Statesman. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  22. "Stony Brook's Sam Kamara records first career tackle in NFL". Greater Long Island. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  23. "Bears DL Bilal Nichols won't be suspended for punch".
  24. @BearsPR (November 3, 2021). "#Bears roster moves: We have waived LB Sam Kamara. We also have signed LB Cassius Marsh to the practice squad and have released RB Chris Thompson from the PS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. "Bears vs. Steelers - Box Score - November 8, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  26. "Bears injury updates on Justin Fields, Roquan Smith, Marquise Goodwin after Week 12". Bears Wire. November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.