Dennis Roland

Dennis Roland Jr. (born March 10, 1983) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at the University of Georgia.

Early life
Roland attended Bolivar High School. As a senior, he received All-Central Ozark Conference honors at tackle on both offense and defense. He also practiced basketball.

He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Georgia. As a sophomore, he started the last 2 games of the season.

As a junior, teammate Max Jean-Gilles moved to offensive guard, allowing Roland to replace him as a starter at tackle.

As a senior, he contributed to the team defeating Louisiana State University by a score of 34–14, to win the 2005 SEC Championship Game. He started 24 out of 25 games, during his final two seasons.

Dallas Cowboys
Roland was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2006 NFL Draft on May 4. He was released before the start of the season on September 4.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On September 4, 2006, he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent the season on the practice squad.

On September 1, 2007, he was released. He was signed to the practice squad for 13 games. On October 2, he was promoted to the active roster and was declared inactive in 2 regular-season games (against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans). On October 19, he was cut and re-signed to the practice squad on October 23. He was released on August 30, 2008.

Cincinnati Bengals
On September 3, 2008, he was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals to the practice squad. He was released on September 11. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 16. He spent the first 10 games on the practice squad. On November 19, he was promoted to the active roster and was active-DNP for games 11 to 14. On December 21, he made his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns, subbing in fourth quarter at right tackle for an injured Stacy Andrews. On December 20, he started in place of Andrews against the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2009, he appeared in 16 games with 12 starts (9 at right tackle and 3 at tight end). He started the Wild Card playoff game against the New York Jets. He contributed to the team winning the AFC North conference and finishing ninth in the league in rushing (128.5 yards per game), including a team-record of eight games of 100 or more yards by individual running backs. His pass blocking helped the team rank ninth in league in fewest sacks allowed (29). He helped Cedric Benson rush for a career-high 189 yards against the Chicago Bears.

In 2010, he appeared in 16 games with 12 starts.

In 2011, he appeared in 16 games with 3 starts, when the team opened the game in extra tight end formation. He was a backup offensive tackle, an extra tight end on selected plays and also played on special teams.

In 2012, he appeared in 16 games with 2 starts.

On August 31, 2013, he was released before the start of the season. On September 4, he was re-signed and appeared in 3 games. He was cut on September 25. He was re-signed on December 3 and appeared in 2 additional games. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Chicago Bears
On July 31, 2014, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. He was released before the start of the season on August 29.

Personal life
Roland's father, Dennis Sr., served as the head football coach at Olivet Nazarene University from 1986 to 1990.