Kevin Peterson


Kevin Lamont Peterson is an American football cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He played college football at Oklahoma State. He previously played for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.

Early years

Peterson played high school football at Wagoner High School in Wagoner, Oklahoma. He recorded 1,621 rushing yards, 25 rushing touchdowns, 42 tackles and 3 interceptions his senior year in 2011, helping Wagoner win the Class 4A State title. This was the first football state championship in school history. In 2011, Peterson was named Oklahoma's Defensive Player of the Year by The Oklahoman and also earned SuperPrep All-American honors. He also participated in track and basketball at Wagoner. In May 2011, he won the state championship in both the 100 meters and 200 meters.

College career

Peterson lettered for the Oklahoma State Cowboys of Oklahoma State University from 2012 to 2015. He played in 13 games, starting 1, in 2012, recording 16 solo tackles, 4 tackle assists and 2 pass breakups. He played in 12 games, starting 11, in 2013, recording 20 solo tackles, 4 tackle assists, 2 interceptions and 4 pass breakups. Peterson played in 13 games, all starts, in 2014, recording 53 solo tackles, 6 tackle assists, 2 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He played in 12 games, starting 11, in 2015, recording 36 solo tackles, 6 tackles assists, 1 interception, 6 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. He missed the first game of the season due to injury. In 2015, Peterson was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalst, earned First Team All-Big 12 honors and was named a team captain. He majored in education at Oklahoma State. He was invited to play in the Senior Bowl in January 2016. However, he suffered a high-ankle sprain before the game and did not play in it.

Professional career

Peterson was rated the 42nd best cornerback in the 2016 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com predicted that he would be drafted in the sixth or seventh round, stating "Size limitations make a move inside as a nickel corner possible, but he has enough quickness and coverage savvy to stick on a roster."

Chicago Bears

Peterson signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2016. He was waived by the Bears on August 30, re-signed by the team on September 1 and waived again on September 3.

Los Angeles Rams

Peterson was signed to the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad on December 27, 2016. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams on January 3, 2017.
On September 4, 2017, Peterson was waived by the Rams and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 16, waived on September 19 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 21. He was promoted back to the active roster on November 22, 2017.
On August 11, 2018, Peterson was placed on injured reserve after he suffered a torn ACL in the Rams' first preseason game. Without Peterson, the Rams reached Super Bowl LIII where they lost 13-3 to the New England Patriots.
Peterson was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2019, Peterson was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals. He played in 14 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2019. He finished the season with 22 tackles and two passes defensed. On May 12, 2020, Peterson was re-signed by the Cardinals.