Dre Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick was released by the Bengals on March 31, 2020, after eight seasons.

On November 15, 2019, Kirkpatrick was placed on injured reserve after hyper-extending his knee back in Week 6. He finished the season starting six games, recording 33 tackles, four passes defensed, and a sack.

In 2018, Kirkpatrick started 13 games, recording 41 tackles, nine passes defensed and no interceptions. He was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2018 with a shoulder injury.

On March 9, 2017, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Kirkpatrick to a five-year, $52.5 million contract extension that includes $12 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7 million.

On October 29, 2017, Kirkpatrick recorded three solo tackles, defended a pass, and sacked Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Jacoby Brissett in a 24–23 victory. The following week, he made a season-high six solo tackles during a 23–7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 11, Kirkpatrick intercepted Denver's Brock Osweiler in the end zone and returned it 101-yards, before mishandling and fumbling the ball and recovering it at the one-yard line. Kirkpatrick sustained a concussion during the Bengals' Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and was sidelined for the next two games (Weeks 14–15). Kirkpatrick finished the 2017 season with 55 combined tackles (47 solo), a career-high 14 pass deflections, an interception, and a sack in 14 games and 14 starts. He received an overall grade of 56.4, which ranked 91st among all qualified cornerbacks in 2017.

On September 18, 2016, he recorded two combined tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted a pass attempt from Ben Roethlisberger during a 16–24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 8, Kirkpatrick recorded a season-high six solo tackles in a 27–27 tie against the Washington Redskins. On November 14, 2016, Kirkpatrick made five combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass By New York Giants' quarterback Eli Manning, as the Bengals lost 20–21. The next game, he collected two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass from Tyrod Taylor in the Bengals' 12–16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He finished the 2016 season with 46 combined tackles (35 solo), ten passes defensed, and three interceptions in 15 games and 14 starts.

On April 28, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals opted to exercise the fifth-year option on Kirkpatrick's rookie contract, paying him a salary of $7.5 million in 2016.

Kirkpatrick entered Cincinnati Bengals' training camp and competed against Adam Jones, Leon Hall, Darquese Dennard, and Josh Shaw for the vacant starting cornerback job left by the departure of Terence Newman. Head coach Marvin Lewis named Kirkpatrick the starting cornerback, along with Adam "Pacman" Jones, to begin the 2015 season.

During a Week 12 contest against the St. Louis Rams, Kirkpatrick collected a season-high ten combined tackles and defended three passes in their 31–7 victory. On December 28, 2015, he earned seven solo tackles and deflected a pass in a 17–20 loss at the Denver Broncos. He finished the 2015 season with a career-high 70 combined tackles (63 solo) and a career-high 16 pass deflections in 15 starts and 16 games.

He finished the season with 30 combined tackles (23 solo), five pass deflections, three interceptions, a sack, and a touchdown in 14 games and three starts. The Cincinnati Bengals received a playoff berth after finishing first in the AFC North with an 11-5 record. On January 5, 2014, Kirkpatrick started his first career playoff games and made two solo tackles during the Bengals' 10–27 AFC Wildcard loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Throughout the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp in 2014, Kirkpatrick competed for the job as the starting cornerback against Adam Jones, Terence Newman, Leon Hall, and rookie Darqueze Dennard. He was named the fourth cornerback to start the season, behind Hall, Newman, and Jones.

In Week 10, he collected a season-high four combined tackles in the Bengals' 3–24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On December 14, 2014, Kirkpatrick made his first start of the season and deflected a pass and intercepted a pass attempt by Brian Hoyer during the 30–0 victory at the Cleveland Browns. The following week, Kirkpatrick made three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two passes from Peyton Manning, as the Bengals' defeated the Denver Boncos 37–28. He returned the first interception for a 30-yard touchdown and sealed the game with his second interception in the final minutes.

Kirkpatrick entered training camp in 2013 and competed for the starting cornerback role with Terence Newman, Leon Hall, and Adam "Pacman" Jones. He was named the fourth cornerback on the depth chart behind Newman, Hall, and Jones.

On November 17, 2013, he collected two combined tackles and made his first career sack on Jason Campbell in a 41–20 victory over the Cleveland Browns. On December 1, 2013, Kirkpatrick made his first career interception after he picked off a pass attempt by San Diego Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers during a 14–10 victory. The following week against the Indianapolis Colts, Kirkpatrick recorded a season-high six solo tackles in the Bengals' 42–28 victory. On December 15, 2013, he made his first career start in place of Terence Newman who was out with an MCL injury and finished the 20–30 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with four combined tackles.

On December 21, 2013, Kirkpatrick had his best game yet when he collected a season-high nine combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two passes From Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco, as the Bengals won 34–17. He made his second interception during the fourth quarter and returned it for a 21-yard touchdown, marking the first touchdown of his career.

Coming out of Alabama, Kirkpatrick was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine and opted to skip the bench press, short shuttle, and three-come drill due to a shoulder injury and after injuring his hamstring during the combine. On March 7, 2012, Kirkpatrick participated at Alabama's pro day and performed the three-cone and positional drills for the team representatives and scouts from all 32 NFL teams. He was ranked the third best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and NFL analyst Mike Mayock.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Kirkpatrick in the first round (17th overall, traded from Oakland in exchange for Carson Palmer) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He was the third cornerback drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, behind Morris Claiborne (6th overall, Cowboys) and Stephon Gilmore (10th overall, Bills).

On May 18, 2012, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Kirkpatrick to a four-year $8.62 million contract that includes $7.84 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.71 million.

He was inactive for the first seven games and made his professional regular season debut on November 4, 2012, recording one tackle during the 23–31 loss to the Denver Broncos. In Week 11, Kirkpatrick recorded a season-high two combined tackles in the Bengals' 28–6 defeat over the Kansas City Chiefs. The next week, he made a tackle in a 34–10 victory over the Oakland Raiders, but suffered a concussion and was unable to finish the game. Kirkpatrick missed the following four games and was inactive for the rest of his rookie season. He finished the 2012 season with four combined tackles and was limited to five games.

He finished the season with 23 combined tackles (20 solo), seven pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown in two starts and 16 games. The Cincinnati Bengals earned a playoff berth after finishing second atop the AFC North with a 10-5-1 record. On January 4, 2015, Kirkpatrick started in the AFC Wildcard game against the Indianapolis Colts and made four combined tackles and defended a pass during their 10–26 loss.

Entering February 2009, Dre Kirkpatrick was one of the most highly rated and sought after high school football recruits in the country, having been awarded a five-star rating by national recruiting outlets Rivals.com and Scout.com.

On February 7, 2009, Kirkpatrick ended months of recruiting, committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide on National Signing Day, as he announced his decision live on ESPNU.

Kirkpatrick attended Gadsden City High School, where he played for the Gadsden City Titans high school football team. He was a teammate of fellow Crimson Tide players Jerrell Harris and Kendall Kelly. He completed his senior football season in the fall of 2008. Kirkpatrick participated in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl & the 2008 Alabama Mississippi All-Star Football Classic, where he was recorded at 6 ft 2 in and 180 lbs.

D'Andre Lawan "Dre" Kirkpatrick (born October 26, 1989) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.