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Levi Wallace

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This article is about the American football player. For the politician, see Levi Wallace (politician).

Levi Wallace
refer to caption
Wallace with the Buffalo Bills in 2021
No. 39 – Denver Broncos
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1995-06-12) June 12, 1995 (age 29)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:179 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High school:Tucson
College:Alabama (2014–2017)
Undrafted:2018
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2024
Total tackles:333
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:56
Interceptions:12
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Levi Wallace (born June 12, 1995) is an American professional football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early life

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Wallace attended Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona, where he played football and track and field.[1] Wallace committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.[2]

College career

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Wallace did not see any action during his freshman and sophomore years at Alabama. He earned a walk-on scholarship before his junior year in 2016.[3] In six games, Wallace totaled 11 tackles.[4] During his senior year, Wallace started in 14 games. He was a starter during the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game, where Alabama won in overtime over Georgia, 26–23.[5] Wallace totaled 48 tackles and caught three interceptions in his senior year.[6]

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
6 ft 0+1⁄4 in
(1.84 m) 		179 lb
(81 kg) 		32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.63 s 1.56 s 2.57 s 4.26 s 6.91 s 33 in
(0.84 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Alabama’s Pro Day[7][8]

Buffalo Bills

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2018 season

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On May 1, 2018, the Buffalo Bills signed Wallace to a three-year, $1.71 million contract as an undrafted free agent.[9] Throughout training camp, Wallace competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against Taron Johnson, Ryan Carter, Breon Borders, and Lafayette Pitts.[10] On September 1, 2018, the Bills waived Wallace as part of their final roster cuts, but signed him to their practice squad the following day.[11]

On November 6, 2018, the Bills promoted Wallace from their practice squad to the active roster after releasing Phillip Gaines.[12] On November 11, 2018, Wallace made his professional regular season debut and first career start and made one tackle and a pass deflection during a 41–10 victory at the New York Jets in Week 10.[13] In Week 16, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 24–12 loss at the New England Patriots.[14] He finished his rookie season in 2018 with 37 combined tackles (24 solo) and three pass deflections in seven games and seven starts.[15]

2019 season

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Wallace was named a starting cornerback to begin the season, opposite Tre'Davious White.[16] Following an inconsistent start to the season, Wallace eventually saw his playing time reduced in favor of Kevin Johnson.[17] In week 15, Wallace caught his first career interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, picking off Devlin Hodges to seal a 17–10 Bills victory in the final moments to help Buffalo clinch a playoff berth.[18] In the regular season finale against the Jets, Wallace logged another interception off Sam Darnold, but suffered a sprained ankle on the play,[19] which kept him out of the Bills' playoff game against the Houston Texans.[20] In the 2019 season, he started in all 16 games. He finished with 76 total tackles (66 solo), two interceptions, and nine passes defended.[21]

2020 season

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On April 2, 2020, Wallace was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Bills, regaining his starting position despite the team signing veteran cornerback Josh Norman. In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, Wallace recorded his first interception of the season during the 35–32 win.[22] Wallace injured his ankle the following week against the Las Vegas Raiders and was ruled out the rest of the game.[23] He was placed on injured reserve on October 7, 2020.[24] He was activated on October 31.[25] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 14, 2020,[26] and activated on November 19.[27] In Week 14 against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, Wallace intercepted a pass thrown by Ben Roethlisberger late in the fourth quarter to secure a 26–15 win for the Bills.[28] In the 2020 season, Wallace appeared in 12 games, all starts. He finished with 48 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight passes defended.[29]

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, Wallace recorded one sack on Lamar Jackson during the 17–3 win.[30]

2021 season

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Wallace re-signed with the Bills on a one-year contract on March 26, 2021.[31][32] He became the top cornerback on the roster after White suffered a torn ACL in week 12 and missed the rest of the season, but Buffalo still finished the year with the league's top passing defense despite White's injury. Wallace, in particular, allowed just a 72.6 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.[33] In the 2021 season, Wallace started all 17 regular season games and both of the Bills' postseason games. He finished with 58 total tackles, two interceptions, and ten passes defended.[34]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On March 17, 2022, the Steelers signed Wallace to a two-year, $8 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.96 million.[35][36] In the 2022 season, he appeared in 15 games and started nine. He finished with 48 total tackles, a career-high four interceptions, and 13 passes defended.[37]

Denver Broncos

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On April 22, 2024, the Denver Broncos signed Wallace to a one-year contract.[38] While filling in for an injured Riley Moss in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, Wallace struggled against former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy who recorded nine catches for 235 yards and a touchdown, the majority of which occurred with Wallace in coverage. This led to Wallace being benched in favor of rookie Kris Abrams-Draine in the 4th quarter.[39][40]

References

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  1. ^ Walsh, Christopher (March 17, 2022). "Throwback Thursday: How Levi Wallace Went From Tucson to Tuscaloosa and Walked On Alabama". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  2. ^ "Levi Wallace – 2017 Football Roster – Alabama Athletics". rolltide.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Scarborough, Alex (November 2, 2017). "How Levi Wallace went from a walk-on to a star at Alabama". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Levi Wallace 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Waldstein, David (January 9, 2018). "Alabama Wins National Championship With a Halftime Twist". New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Levi Wallace 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Levi Wallace Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Levi Wallace College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Spotrac.com: Levi Wallace contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Murphy, Sean (July 7, 2018). "2018 Buffalo Bills scouting report: cornerback Levi Wallace". Buffalo Rumblings. SB Nation. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Warren, Matt (September 2, 2018). "Buffalo Bills add eight recent cuts to practice squad including Dean Marlowe, Keith Ford". Buffalo Rumblings. SB Nation. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Inabinett, Mark (November 7, 2018). "Buffalo Bills call up Levi Wallace". AL.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Bills' Levi Wallace: Earns start in NFL debut". CBSSports.com. November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  14. ^ "Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots - December 23rd, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Levi Wallace 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  16. ^ Wolf, Jason (September 28, 2019). "Bills' Levi Wallace: From no scholarship to national champ, undrafted to NFL starter". The Buffalo News. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  17. ^ "All-22 analysis: Buffalo Bills corner Levi Wallace". Buffalo Rumblings. SB Nation. November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  18. ^ Kelly, David (December 16, 2019). "Wallace's pick seals playoff trip for Bills". KVOA. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  19. ^ Talbot, Ryan (December 30, 2019). "NFL Playoffs: Buffalo Bills CB Levi Wallace day-to-day with ankle sprain (report)". syracuse. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  20. ^ Skurski, Jay (January 4, 2020). "Levi Wallace out for Bills against Texans; Duke Williams active over Robert Foster". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  21. ^ "Levi Wallace 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  22. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills – September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  23. ^ Louis-Jacques, Marcel (October 4, 2020). "Bills CB Wallace ruled out due to ankle injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  24. ^ "Bills promote CB Cam Lewis to the 53-man roster; Wallace placed on IR". BuffaloBills.com. October 7, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  25. ^ "Bills activate CB Levi Wallace; elevate CB Dane Jackson". BuffaloBills.com. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  26. ^ Louis-Jacques, Marcel (November 14, 2020). "Bills CB Norman tests positive; 3 others on list". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  27. ^ Alper, Josh (November 19, 2020). "Bills take Levi Wallace, Tyler Kroft, Dean Marlowe off COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  28. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  29. ^ "Levi Wallace 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  30. ^ "Divisional Round – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills – January 16th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  31. ^ Glab, Maddy (March 17, 2021). "Bills agree to terms with CB Levi Wallace". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – March". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  33. ^ Inabinett, Mark (March 10, 2022). "Did Levi Wallace play his way out of Buffalo?". AL.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  34. ^ "Levi Wallace 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  35. ^ Varley, Teresa (March 17, 2022). "Wallace signed to two-year contract". Steelers.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  36. ^ "Levi Wallace". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  37. ^ "Levi Wallace 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  38. ^ DiLalla, Aric (April 22, 2024). "Broncos sign unrestricted free agent CB Levi Wallace to 1-year contract". Denver Broncos. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  39. ^ "Broncos' Levi Wallace: Struggles in starting role". CBSSports.com. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  40. ^ "Broncos Fans Demand Release of $11M Cornerback After Browns Loss". BVM Sports. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
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