Which NFL teams did Terry Crews play for?

Terry Crews at a press conference for the movie Draft Day

Actor Terry Crews was an NFL player before making it big in Hollywood. Crews is best known for several roles, including President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho in Idiocracy and Lieutenant Terry Jeffords in the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But before Hollywood, Crews spent 5 years in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball.

NFL teams that rostered Terry Crews

After playing college football at Western Michigan University, Terry Crews entered the 1991 NFL Draft where the Los Angeles Rams drafted him in the 11th round. Crews played linebacker and his pre-draft measurables had him at 6 feet 2 inches, 237 lbs with a 4.74 second speed in the 40-yard dash.

His NFL career included stints with 5 teams:

1. Los Angeles Rams (6 games)
2. Green Bay Packers (0 games)
3. San Diego Chargers (10 games)
4. Washington Redskins (16 games)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (0 games)

Terry Crews also spent the 1995 season playing for the Rhein Fire of the World League of American Football (later known as NFL Europa). He retired in 1997 from professional football. Soon after, Crews moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry, and he sought a job in the field. After several minor roles, Crews’s breakout role came in the movie Friday After Next, when star Ice Cube cast him for a part. He had been working for Ice Cube as on-set security before the rapper-turned-actor gave Crews a part in the movie.

Since 2002, Terry Crews has had numerous other roles, including President Camacho in Idiocracy and Get Smart, where he shared the screen with another fellow ex-NFL linebacker-turned-actor (and former WWE pro wrestler), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. His other notable movie appearances include Malibu’s Most Wanted, Soul Plane, White Chicks, Terminator Salvation, The Expendables, Bridesmaids, and Deadpool 2.

In 2005, Crews got a role that involved playing football in Adam Sandler’s remake of The Longest Yard. In the movie, he played Cheeseburger Eddy who was one of the prisoners that plays for the prison team led by Sandler’s character against the prison guards. The Longest Yard also had other former NFL players, including former Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Michael Irvin and former NFL player/former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg.

While Terry Crews is a physically imposing figure, he often plays comedic roles and characters who are big but have the heart of a teddy bear. His transition from the NFL to Hollywood is a success story for aspiring actors who do not have any formal acting training. Arguably, the 53-year-old Terry Crews could probably start for an NFL team today.