Cameron Worrell
Encyclopedia
Cameron Worrell is an American football
safety in the National Football League
. He was originally signed by the Chicago Bears
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football
at Fresno State
.
Worrell has also played for the Miami Dolphins
and New York Jets
.
and safety at Chowchilla High School in Chowchilla, California
. He earned North Sequoia League Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. He was also named to the All-Section team, gaining 1,300 yards on 160 carries with 16 touchdown
s on offense and two interceptions on defense.
where he helped the Rams to a perfect regular season.
As a junior in 2001, Worrell appeared in 14 games and recorded 31 tackles with two sacks, four tackles for a loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
In his first year as a starter for Fresno State, Worrell earned All-Western Athletic Conference
honors. He started all 14 games as a senior and led the Bulldogs with career-highs of 106 tackles and five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He added four sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed on the year.
, but was signed by the Chicago Bears
after a tryout during a post-draft minicamp. He was the only undrafted free agent to make the team out of training camp in 2003.
During his rookie season, Worrell saw action in 14 games on special teams and in a reserve role at safety. He recorded eight special teams tackles on the year and he also recovered an R.W. McQuarters fumble on a punt return.
Worrell played in 13 games during the 2004 season, amassing 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He missed the final two games of the season after being placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury.
A shoulder injury suffered in Week 3 of the preseason caused Worrell to miss the entire 2005 regular season.
Worrell had the best statistical year of his career to date in 2006. He appeared in all 16 games for the first time in his career and totaled 21 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He played in a reserve role against the Indianapolis Colts
in Super Bowl XLI
, but did not accumulate any statistics.
the following offseason, Worrell signed with the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2007. He received a two-year contract from the team worth $2 million and including a $285,000 signing bonus. Worrell suffered a torn ACL in Week 13 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve
.
The Dolphins waived Worrell on April 24, 2008 after he failed a physical.
on June 8, 2008. He was assigned No. 45.
. He became a free agent following the season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally signed by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Fresno State
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
.
Worrell has also played for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Worrell was a two-year starter at both running backRunning back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and safety at Chowchilla High School in Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. Chowchilla is located northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet . It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,720 at the 2010 census, up from 11,127 at the 2000...
. He earned North Sequoia League Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. He was also named to the All-Section team, gaining 1,300 yards on 160 carries with 16 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s on offense and two interceptions on defense.
College career
Worrell originally attended Fresno State University, but did not play as a redshirt freshman in 1999 and subsequently transferred to Fresno City CollegeFresno City College
Fresno City College is a community college in Fresno, California. Established in 1910, it was the first community college in California and the second in the nation...
where he helped the Rams to a perfect regular season.
As a junior in 2001, Worrell appeared in 14 games and recorded 31 tackles with two sacks, four tackles for a loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
In his first year as a starter for Fresno State, Worrell earned All-Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
honors. He started all 14 games as a senior and led the Bulldogs with career-highs of 106 tackles and five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He added four sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed on the year.
First stint with Bears
Worrell was undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
, but was signed by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after a tryout during a post-draft minicamp. He was the only undrafted free agent to make the team out of training camp in 2003.
During his rookie season, Worrell saw action in 14 games on special teams and in a reserve role at safety. He recorded eight special teams tackles on the year and he also recovered an R.W. McQuarters fumble on a punt return.
Worrell played in 13 games during the 2004 season, amassing 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He missed the final two games of the season after being placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury.
A shoulder injury suffered in Week 3 of the preseason caused Worrell to miss the entire 2005 regular season.
Worrell had the best statistical year of his career to date in 2006. He appeared in all 16 games for the first time in his career and totaled 21 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He played in a reserve role against the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
, but did not accumulate any statistics.
Miami Dolphins
As an unrestricted free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
the following offseason, Worrell signed with the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2007. He received a two-year contract from the team worth $2 million and including a $285,000 signing bonus. Worrell suffered a torn ACL in Week 13 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
The Dolphins waived Worrell on April 24, 2008 after he failed a physical.
New York Jets
Worrell signed with the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on June 8, 2008. He was assigned No. 45.
Second stint with Bears
Worrell after being injured for the whole 2008 season was signed on December 26, 2008 when Mike Brown was placed on injured reserveInjured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
. He became a free agent following the season.