Jerry Tillery

Jerry Dewayne Tillery Jr. (born October 8, 1996) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life Tillery attended Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a senior he had 93 tackles and seven sacks. He committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.

College career

Tillery was originally going to play offensive tackle as a freshman at Notre Dame in 2015, but it was later decided he would play defensive tackle. That season, he played in 12 games with three starts and recorded 12 tackles and a sack. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 11 of 12 games, recording 37 tackles. As a junior in 2017, Tillery started all 13 games, finishing the season with 56 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He returned to Notre Dame for his senior year in 2018. He posted a career-high seven sacks during the 2018 season.

Professional career

Los Angeles Chargers Tillery was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers 28th overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games and made three starts. He had two sacks and 17 total tackles (nine solo).

In Week 9 of the 2020 season against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tillery recorded a strip sack on Derek Carr that he also recovered during the 27–25 loss. This was Tillery's first forced fumble and fumble recovery in the NFL. In the 2020 season, he had three sacks, 30 total tackles (19 solo), two passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. In the 2021 season, Tillery had 4.5 sacks and 51 total tackles (24 solo) in 16 games and starts.

The Chargers declined the fifth-year option on Tillery's contract on May 2, 2022, making him a free agent after the season. Tillery was waived on November 10, 2022.

Las Vegas Raiders On November 14, 2022, Tillery was claimed off waivers by the Las Vegas Raiders. He finished the 2022 season with one sack, 18 total tackles (13 solo), and one forced fumble over 15 games and four starts with both teams.

Tillery re-signed with the Raiders on March 17, 2023. In an October 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Tillery was ejected after a late hit on former teammate Justin Herbert. In the 2023 season, he finished with two sacks, 31 total tackles (11 solo), and one fumble recovery in 17 games and six starts. Tillery was released by the Raiders on March 13, 2024.

Minnesota Vikings On March 14, 2024, Tillery signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He made 17 appearances (including 11 starts) for Minnesota during the regular season, compiling two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and 28 combined tackles.

Kansas City Chiefs On March 19, 2025, Tillery signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on a one-year, $1.79 million contract. He made 17 appearances (including three starts) for the Chiefs, posting one fumble recovery, 1.5 sacks, and 20 combined tackles.

Indianapolis Colts On March 17, 2026, Tillery signed a one-year, $1.49 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2019 LAC 15 3 17 9 8 2.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 LAC 16 11 30 19 11 3.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 2021 LAC 16 15 51 24 27 4.5 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 LAC 7 0 8 5 3 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 LV 8 4 10 8 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2023 LV 17 6 31 11 20 2.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2024 MIN 17 11 28 13 15 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2025 KC 17 3 20 8 12 1.5 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0Career 113 53 195 97 98 14.0 17 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 4 0 3 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2024 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

College Year Team Class Pos GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF 2015 Notre Dame FR DT 6 9 3 12 2.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2016 Notre Dame SO DT 11 19 18 37 3.5 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 Notre Dame JR DT 13 25 31 56 9.0 4.5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2018 Notre Dame SR DT 12 17 11 28 8.5 7.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Career 43 60 63 123 23 12.5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 3