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Terrel Bernard

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Terrel Bernard
No. 43 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-05-07) May 7, 1999 (age 25)
La Porte, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:La Porte
College:Baylor (2017–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 3 / pick: 89
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Total tackles:222
Sacks:7.5
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:8
Interceptions:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Terrel Bernard (born May 7, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor.

Early life

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Bernard grew up in La Porte, Texas and attended La Porte High School.[1]

College career

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Bernard redshirted his true freshman season at Baylor.[2] He played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman and recorded 47 tackles with one sack and one interception.[3] Bernard became a starter as a redshirt sophomore and was named second team All-Big 12 Conference after leading the Bears with 112 tackles and also recording 4.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and one interception.[4] He repeated as a second team All-Big 12 selection in 2020 after recording 55 tackles through five games before suffering a season ending injury.[5] Bernard was named first team All-Conference as a redshirt senior after recording 106 tackles with 12.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks.[6] Bernard was named the 2022 Sugar Bowl MVP after posting 20 tackles and 2 sacks vs. Ole Miss.

Professional career

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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 0+78 in
(1.85 m)
224 lb
(102 kg)
30+14 in
(0.77 m)
9+58 in
(0.24 m)
4.59 s 1.57 s 2.63 s 4.25 s 7.03 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
22 reps
Sources:[7][8]

The Buffalo Bills selected Bernard in the third round, 89th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.[9] He played mostly as a backup in his rookie year.

Bernard (#43) in action with his teammates against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in 2023

Despite missing much of 2023 preseason due to an injury, Bernard was named the starting inside linebacker to replace Tremaine Edmunds prior to the season.[10] In Week 3 of the 2023 season, Bernard recorded seven tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception in a 37–3 win over the Washington Commanders, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[11] In his first season as starter, Bernard played all 17 regular season games, leading the Bills in tackles while also becoming the first linebacker in the league since 1991 to put up at least six sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries in the same season.[12] Head coach Sean McDermott later named Bernard his breakout player on the team after the season.[13]

In the playoffs, Bernard injured his ankle in the wild card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was carted off the field.[14] While Buffalo would advance to the divisional round against the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Bernard was ruled out due to the injury,[15] and Buffalo lost 27–24 without him and several other defensive starters on the field.[16]

Bernard was named one of just two team captains for the Bills the following year along with quarterback Josh Allen, with Bernard representing the defense.[17] He suffered a strained pectoral muscle in Buffalo's week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins,[18] missing the next two games. In his return against the Houston Texans, Bernard made two key defensive plays, stuffing a fourth-down attempt by Houston in the second quarter and intercepting a pass intended by C. J. Stroud for former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs in the fourth quarter, but Buffalo still lost by a last-second field goal 23–20.[19] In week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bernard made a game-winning interception against Patrick Mahomes, ending Kansas City’s hopes of an undefeated season.[20]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career High

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds Avg TD
2022 BUF 16 1 22 11 11 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 BUF 17 17 143 84 59 10 9 6.5 0 5 3 2 0.7 2 0 0 3 -1 -0.3 0
2024 BUF 8 8 57 36 21 4 2 1.0 0 3 2 1 0.5 1 0 0 1 0 0.0 0
Career 41 26 222 131 91 14 11 7.5 0 8 5 3 0.6 2 0 0 4 -1 -0.3 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds Avg TD
2022 BUF 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 BUF 1 1 4 3 1 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 2 1 5 3 2 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Werner, John (November 18, 2021). "Bernard's leadership unshakable for Bears". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Werner, John (September 27, 2018). "Bernard bringing accountability to Baylor defense". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Werner, John (November 14, 2019). "Baylor LB Bernard making crucial impact in middle". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Gibson, Destine (March 2, 2020). "Baylor linebacker outlook for 2020: Who will help Terrel Bernard back up the line?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Moyle, Nick (July 15, 2021). "LB Terrel Bernard leading the way for Baylor". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Poorman, Jon (April 24, 2022). "2022 NFL Draft: Houston-area players to watch". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Terrel Bernard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Terrel Bernard, Baylor NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Fitzgerald, Katherine (May 5, 2022). "Bills LB Terrel Bernard: 'I feel like I have the experience'". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "MLB Bernard, CB Benford to start for Bills in opener". News 4 Buffalo. September 6, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 27, 2023). "Dolphins RB De'Von Achane, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  12. ^ Wojton, Nick (January 4, 2024). "Top three 2024 Pro Bowl snubs from the Bills". Bills Wire. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Alfano, Jonathan (March 2, 2024). "'Magnificent!' McDermott Praises Bills' Breakout Star". Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Terrel Bernard leaves on cart due to ankle injury". The Athletic. January 16, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  15. ^ Marrero, Nathaniel (January 19, 2024). "Bills Officially Rule Out Four Players vs. Chiefs". Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Parrino, Matt (January 22, 2024). "Bills lose to Chiefs (again) in playoff heartbreaker as kick goes wide right (Observations)". syracuse. Retrieved March 2, 2024. Buffalo was down multiple starters on defense, including middle linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford -- and it showed. The Chiefs couldn't be stopped, scoring on five of their first six possessions.
  17. ^ Wojton, Nick (September 5, 2024). "Josh Allen, Terrel Bernard reflect on being captains: 'I don't take it lightly'". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Silagyi, Kyle (September 13, 2024). "Report: Bills LB Terrel Bernard's injury recovery timeline revealed". SI.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Gaughan, Mark (October 6, 2024). "Plays that shaped the game: Terrel Bernard's big plays wasted by Bills' late collapse". Buffalo News. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Salimbene, Nico (November 20, 2024). "ESPN analyst raves over Bills LB Terrel Bernard after game-sealing INT vs. Chiefs". SI.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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