Tedarrell Anthony "TJ" Slaton Jr. (born October 3, 1997) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Early life Slaton was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended and played football at American Heritage School in nearby Plantation, where one of his coaches was former National Football League (NFL) cornerback Patrick Surtain. His teammates included Surtain's son, Patrick II, and Tyson Campbell.
College career Slaton played college football at the University of Florida. In four seasons with the Gators, he played in 45 games with 14 starts, recording 98 tackles (34 solo, 10 for loss), 3.5 sacks, nine quarterback hurries, one pass deflection, and one fumble recovery.
Professional career
Green Bay Packers On May 1, 2021, Slaton was selected in the fifth round with the 173rd overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 14. He was listed as second on the depth chart to begin the season, behind veteran Kenny Clark.
He saw his first NFL action on September 12, 2021, against the New Orleans Saints, recording two solo tackles in the 38–3 loss. He recorded a half sack in the Packers' Week 3 victory against the San Francisco 49ers, and another half sack two weeks later in a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. In a Week 7 game against the Washington Football Team, he blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by Chris Blewitt. He saw extensive action in a Week 9 game against the defending American Football Conference champion Kansas City Chiefs, when he played most of the game in relief of an injured Kenny Clark, where he produced 3 "stops", tackles that were determined to be a failure for the opposing offense.
Cincinnati Bengals On March 13, 2025, Slaton signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR PD 2021 GB 17 0 23 14 9 1.0 0 0 0 0 2022 GB 17 2 31 15 16 0.0 2 0 0 2 2023 GB 17 17 50 23 27 0.0 2 0 0 22024 GB 17 17 30 15 15 1.0 2 0 0 02025 CIN 17 17 52 19 33 3.0 4 0 0 0Total 85 53 186 86 100 5.0 10 0 0 4Source: pro-football-reference.com
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR PD 2021 GB 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 2023 GB 2 2 6 4 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 2024 GB 1 1 3 2 1 0.0 1 0 0 0Total 4 3 10 7 3 0.0 2 0 0 0Source: pro-football-reference.com
References
External links
Cincinnati Bengals bio Florida Gators bio