Francis Bernard (American football)

Francis Bernard (born April 8, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah and BYU.

Francis Bernard
No. 44 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1995-04-08) April 8, 1995
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Herriman (Herriman, Utah)
College:Utah,
BYU
Undrafted:2020
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2020
Games played:2
Tackles:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

High school career

After playing his freshman year of high school football at Bingham High School, Bernard later transferred to Herriman High School.[1] He was named a 4A all-state running back at Herriman.[2] He committed to Brigham Young on December 11, 2012.[3]

College career

Coming in to the BYU program as a running back, Bernard saw playing time there his freshman year but then was asked to move to linebacker for his sophomore year with the emergence of Jamaal Williams.[4] Before his junior season, Bernard announced that he would redshirt the year for personal reasons.[5] It was later revealed that Bernard was also facing a full-season suspension for violating BYU's honor code. Because of that, Bernard decided to transfer to Utah.[6]

After taking a year away from football, Bernard was granted permission to play for Utah in August 2018.[7] After his 2019 senior season, Bernard was named first-team all-Pac-12 and participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl.[8]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dashVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0 3⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 234 lb
(106 kg)		 31 7⁄8 in
(0.81 m)		 9 7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.81 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)		10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		19 reps
All values from NFL Combine[9]

On April 25, 2020, the Dallas Cowboys signed Bernard as an undrafted free agent.[10] He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[11][12] He was elevated to the active roster on October 3 for the team's week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[13] He was promoted to the active roster on October 10.[14]

Personal life

In October 2017, Bernard was cited in alcohol-and traffic-related offenses.[15] Bernard is married with one son,[1] and is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having served a mission in Atlanta.[2]

References
  1. Ramsay, Brayden. "Pick-Six: The Francis Bernard Story". Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  2. "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Francis Bernard". NFL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  3. "Francis Bernard, Herriman, All Purpose Back". 247Sports. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  4. Allen, Trevor (August 31, 2019). "Utes LB Francis Bernard Finds Redemption In Second Chance To Play Football". KSL Sports. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  5. "BYU LB Francis Bernard to redshirt due to personal reasons". Associated Press. August 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  6. Kragthorpe, Kurt (August 26, 2019). "Utah linebacker Francis Bernard shaped by the health scares of his fiancee and their baby boy". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  7. Coon, John (August 13, 2018). "Former BYU LB Francis Bernard cleared to play for Utah". Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  8. Kragthorpe, Kurt (December 17, 2019). "Utah's Terrell Burgess and Francis Bernard have positioned themselves for NFL careers". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  9. "Francis Bernard Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. Newman, Josh (April 25, 2020). "Cowboys quickly sign Utah linebacker Francis Bernard as free agent after NFL Draft ends". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. Helman, David (September 5, 2020). "Two LBs Among Notable Cowboys Roster Cuts". DallasCowboys.com.
  12. Phillips, Rob (September 6, 2020). "Brandon Carr Among 15 Practice Squad Additions". DallasCowboys.com.
  13. "Cowboys elevate rookie LB Francis Bernard from practice squad to active roster". DallasNews.com. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  14. "Cowboys roster move: Anthony Brown returns, Francis Bernard promoted, Tyron Smith and Joe Looney to IR". Blogging the Boys. SB Nation. October 10, 2020.
  15. "BYU: Players cited for alcohol offenses released weeks ago". Associated Press. October 23, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
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