Brentson Buckner


Brentson André Buckner is an American football coach and former defensive tackle who is the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

College career

Buckner played college football at Clemson University, and was a first-team All-ACC selection in his senior year. In addition to ranking fourth all-time in school history with 46 tackles for a loss, he also set a school record with a 1,220 pound lift on a leg sled.

Professional career

Buckner was selected in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After missing the first three games of the season, he played in the last 13, and started both playoff games. During one game against the Buffalo Bills, he blocked a field goal. The following season, he was a regular starter for the Steelers, and was an integral part of the defense that led them to Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. After one more year with Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason. He was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals before the 1997 NFL season. He missed two games that season with an injury suffered against the Steelers, his former team. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers before the next season. He notched his third career blocked field goal against the team he would later play for, the Carolina Panthers. He played with the Niners for three seasons before joining the Carolina Panthers as an unrestricted free agent before the 2001 NFL season. Buckner joined with Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker and Kris Jenkins to form what many experts called the most dominating front four defensive line in football. The four led the Panthers defense to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots.
On March 1, 2006, Buckner was released by the Panthers.

Post retirement

After retirement, Buckner hosted a midday show on WFNZ in Charlotte, with former NFL Offensive lineman Frank Garcia. The Frank and Buck Show aired weekdays from 11a-3p. He has also been seen on the NFL Network and ESPN as an NFL analyst.

Coaching career

He was the head coach of the Northside Christian Academy football team in Charlotte, along with former NFL players, Myron Bell, Mo Collins, and Omari Jordan who were assistant coaches.

Steelers

He spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an intern during the preseason.

Cardinals

Buckner was named the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals on February 5, 2013.

Buccaneers

After spending five seasons with the Cardinals, Buckner joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their defensive line coach on February 19, 2018.

Raiders

After spending a year with the Bucs, Buckner agreed to join the Raiders as their defensive line coach on January 12, 2019, following Tampa’s hiring of Head Coach Bruce Arians. He was let go of after one year in the position.

Returns to Arizona

It was announced in 2020 that Buckner had returned to Arizona to once again be the defensive line coach for the cardinals.