Background and career
Dominique Reshard Rodgers-Cromartie (born April 7, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee State Tigers, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Rodgers-Cromartie has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2015. In 2023, Rodgers-Cromartie became the most notable free agent in A7FL history, joining the Tampa Nightcrawlers for their playoff run. Rodgers-Cromartie also played for the Dunedin Highlanders of the EAFL in 2024, a semi-pro football organization in Florida. Most recently, he is making his professional soccer debut in the large TST tournament (1M prize for men’s/open bracket) for a South Florida based club called Real Athletico.
Rodgers-Cromartie is of Haitian descent. He was born with a non-functioning kidney that was removed when he was 8 years old. He attended three high schools, including spending his sophomore year at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida, before enrolling at Lakewood Ranch High School in Bradenton, Florida, where he first received playing time; and where he was an All-Area, All-Class 5A, and All-District 11 defensive back and wide receiver. He also competed as a jumper and sprinter on the school's track team. He was named the most underrated prospect in Florida by the High School Recruiting Report.
While attending Tennessee State University, Rodgers-Cromartie played for the Tennessee State Tigers football team from 2004 to 2007. In 39 starts for the Tigers, opposing quarterbacks completed just 55 of 161 passes (34.16%) thrown near Rodgers-Cromartie. He intercepted 11 of those throws, deflected 25 and held the opposition to a minuscule 3.54 yards per pass attempt, the best of any collegiate defensive back over his three seasons. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
Rodgers-Cromartie was also a standout performer for the track team. Juggling football spring drills with the indoor and outdoor track seasons in 2007, he qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regionals after he captured the Ohio Valley Conference long jump title, with a mark of 7.71 meters. In his second outdoor event, he was named OVC Male Athlete of the Week after finishing third at the Penn Relays with a conference-best long jump of 7.56 meters. At the OVC Indoor Track Championships, Rodgers-Cromartie was named the top male athlete. He won the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.89 seconds, long jump with a mark of 7.71 meters and high jump with a mark of 2.07 meters and finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.83 meters. He performed most of the indoor season while nursing an ankle sprain. He also competed in the 100 meters, posting a career-best time of 10.75 seconds while he was at Lakewood Ranch High School.
Rodgers-Cromartie drew relatively little draft interest at the start of the pre-draft process because Tennessee State played generally lackluster teams, and because of weak technique. However, he dramatically raised his profile and draft stock after impressing scouts during Senior Bowl week, performing very well during the arranged practices, and also played well in the 2008 Senior Bowl where he was named defensive MVP for the game. A 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was among some of the fastest times in event history. He was widely regarded as the No. 2 cornerback prospect in the draft by NFL.com and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. NFL draft scouts projected him to be a first round pick and expected him to be drafted no later than the 25th overall pick.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Rodgers-Cromartie in the first round (16th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. He was the second cornerback selected after (11th overall) Leodis McKelvin. He became the first player from 1-AA to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in eight years with the last instance being cornerback 2000 first-round pick (23rd overall) Rashard Anderson of Jackson State. On July 25, 2008, the Cardinals signed Rodgers-Cromartie to a five–year, $12.52 million rookie contract that includes $8.98 million guaranteed and has a maximum value of $15.10 million. Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against Roderick Hood and Eric Green. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starters Eric Green and Roderick Hood. On September 7, 2008, Rodgers-Cromartie made his professional regular season debut in the Arizona Cardinals' season-opener at the San Francisco 49ers and had one solo tackle as they won 23–13. In Week 3, Rodgers-Cromartie earned his first career start as a nickelback and recorded two combined tackles (one solo) during a 35–56 loss at the New York Jets. On November 16, 2008, Rodgers-Cromartie made four combined tackles (two solo), two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions during a 26–20 victory at the Seattle Seahawks. He had his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by Matt Hasselbeck to wide receiver Koren Robinson in the second quarter. His second interception of the game sealed the Cardinals' victory after he picked off another pass by Hasselbeck to wide receiver Deion Branch with only 2:05 remaining. The following week, he had three solo tackles and set a new season-high with four pass deflections as the Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 29–24 in Week 10. He supplanted Eric Green as the No. 2 starting cornerback and remained the starter for the remainder of the season. In Week 14, Rodgers-Cromartie set a season-high with five solo tackles, made two pass deflection, and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during a 34–10 victory against the St. Louis Rams. His first career pick-six was during the fourth quarter after he picked off a pass in the endzone thrown by Marc Bulger to wide receiver Torry Holt and returned it 99–yards for his first touchdown in his career. He finished his rookie season with 43 combined tackles (39 solo), 19 pass deflections, four interceptions, and one touchdown, while appearing in all 16 games with 11 starts. The Arizona Cardinals finished the 2008 NFL season first in the NFC West with a 9–7 record to clinch a playoff berth. On January 3, 2009, Rodgers-Cromartie started in his first career playoff game and led the Cardinals with ten combined tackles (nine solo), made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Matt Ryan to wide receiver Roddy White during a 30–24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round. On January 10, 2009, he started in the Divisional Round at the Carolina Panthers and had one solo tackle, led the team with four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Jake Delhomme in the red zone to wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. during a 33–13 victory. The following game, he had four solo tackles and a pass deflection in the NFC Championship as the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32–25 to advance to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. On February 1, 2009, Rodgers-Cromartie started in Super Bowl XLIII and made four solo tackles and two pass deflections as the Cardinals lost 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who his head coach Ken Whisenhunt had coached as the offensive coordinator in 2006. The Super Bowl matchup against the Steelers is widely regarded as one of the best Super Bowl games in history. On February 6, 2009, one week after Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.
