A.J.

Tarpley

Tarpley (6'0/232) started all four years for the Cardinal, compiling 20.5 career TFLs, 6.5 sacks, and four interceptions. He earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors as a senior. An average athlete for an NFL linebacker, Tarpley ran 4.75 with a 34-inch vertical and 9-foot-7 broad jump at Stanford’s Pro Day. Tarpley was one of the better pure tacklers in college football, but isn’t big or rangy and lacks thump in run defense. He projects as a reserve and special teamer.

An UDFA out of Stanford, Tarpley had been active for all 11 games. The Bills will likely try to stash him on the practice squad.

Tarpley, 23, retired specifically due to concussions, as he explained on Instagram. “I suffered the 3rd and 4th concussions of my career this past season and I am walking away from the game I love to preserve my future health,” he wrote. “This decision is the hardest I’ve made yet but after much research and contemplation I believe it’s what is best for me going forward.” Tarpley earned playing time in 14 games as an undrafted rookie last season, and had a legitimate chance at significant snaps in a weak Bills linebacker corps. It’s fair to wonder if Tarpley’s concussion-driven retirement will be one of the first of an eventual many, especially among players who aren’t in the league’s higher earning brackets.