Denico Autry

Denico Autry (born July 15, 1990) is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders in 2014.

Early life
Autry played high school football for the Albemarle High School Bulldogs of Albemarle, North Carolina. He finished his senior season with 104 solo tackles, 38 assists, 9.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He was named the All-SNAP Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Rocky River Conference Defensive Player of the Year and played in the NCCA East-West All-Star game.

College career
Autry first played college football for the East Mississippi Lions of East Mississippi Community College, helping lead the Lions to a 12–0 record, state championship and NJCAA national title. He was named 2011 NJCAA Football All-America First-team.

He transferred to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 2012 to 2013. Autry played in 26 games, starting 23. He recorded 73 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles in his two-year career.

Oakland Raiders
Autry was signed by the Oakland Raiders of the NFL on May 20, 2014, after going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut on October 2, 2014, against the Cleveland Browns, recording two tackles. He played in ten games for the Raiders in 2014, accumulating thirteen combined tackles.

Autry played in fourteen games, starting eight, for the team during the 2015 season, totaling 22 combined tackles, three sacks, three passes deflections and one safety.

The Raiders offered him a one-year exclusive rights tender on March 9, 2016, which Autry eventually signed.

Autry was offered a restricted free agent tender after the conclusion of the 2017 season. He officially signed his tender on April 17, 2017.

Indianapolis Colts
On March 14, 2018, Autry signed a three-year, $17.8 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 14, Autry recorded a career-high three sacks and two forced fumbles in a 6–0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He followed that performance week two, with a pair of sacks in a 24–21 upset win over the Houston Texans, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Autry finished the 2019 season with 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 14 games played. Autry sat out the last two games of the season after suffering a concussion in Week 15 of the season.

Autry made his return from injury in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. During the game, Autry recorded his first two sacks of the season on Gardner Minshew in the 27–20 loss. In Week 8 against the Detroit Lions, Autry recorded two sacks on Matthew Stafford during the 41–21 win. Autry was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 20, 2020, and activated on December 3.

In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills, Autry sacked Josh Allen 1.5 times and forced a fumble during the 27–24 loss.

Tennessee Titans
On March 18, 2021, Autry signed a three-year, $21.5 million deal with the Tennessee Titans.

In 2023, Autry set a career-high and team-leading 11.5 sacks, 50 tackles, and two forced fumbles.

Houston Texans
On March 15, 2024, Autry signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans.