Marcus Spears ( defensive end ) " For the offensive lineman , see Marcus Spears ( offensive tackle ) . " Marcus Raishon Spears ( born March 8 , 1983 ) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent . He played college football for Louisiana State University , and earned All - American honors . The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft . He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens . Early years . Spears was born in Baton Rouge , Louisiana . He was a highly sought - after two - sport athlete in the country following his senior season at Southern University Lab High School in Baton Rouge . On the football field , he was rated as the top tight end prospect in America and the third - best overall prospect after earning high school All - America honors . He was named first - team Class 1A all - state selection on both offense and defense following his senior season , becoming the first player to be honored on both in Louisiana since 1991 . He finished his final prep season with 28 receptions for 435 yards and three touchdown s and 245 rushing yards and six touchdowns on offense and 22 tackles for losses , 11 . 5 sacks and four fumble recoveries on defense . The communication studies major was also one of the nation ' s top basketball prospects . He played in the first ever U . S . Army All - American Bowl game on December 30 , 2000 . College career . Spears attended Louisiana State University , where he played for coach Nick Saban ' s LSU Tigers football team from 2001 to 2004 . He was initially recruited by LSU as a tight end , but was soon moved to the defensive line . In 2001 , Spears played tight end , fullback and defensive end as a freshman , recording two catches for 20 yards on offense and eight tackles , a sack and a tackle for loss on defense . His play earned him freshman All - SEC honors as a tight end . 2002 marked his first season as a full - time defensive player , in which he recorded 46 tackles , 16 quarterback pressures , 3 . 5 tackles for losses and three sacks . In 2003 , during LSU ' s national championship season , Spears contributed 49 tackles , 23 quarterback pressures , 13 tackles for losses , six sacks and six passes defensed to earn First - team All - SEC honors . Playing against Oklahoma for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl , Spears returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 21 - 7 advantage in their 21 - 14 victory . In 2004 , Spears put together a career year , earning First - team All - America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation , American Football Coaches Association , and AP , and second - team All - America honors from " Sports Illustrated " , first - team All - SEC honors and was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award . He finished the year tying his career - high in tackles ( 49 ) while setting career - highs for tackles for losses ( 17 ) and sacks ( nine , a figure that ranks fourth in the LSU single - season records ) . He also recorded 21 quarterback pressures to help the Tigers finish the year third in the country in total defense . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2005 NFL Draft with two first round draft choices . Spears was considered by head coach Bill Parcells to be the key to the team ' s eventual move to a 3 - 4 defense and wanted to take him with the first selection ( 11th overall pick ) . Owner / GM Jerry Jones overruled Parcells and drafted DeMarcus Ware instead , who the team thought would not be available later in the draft . Spears was eventually selected by the Cowboys with the 20th overall pick . 2005 . Spears suffered from injury problems in his first two training camps . In his first training camp in 2005 as a rookie , He sprained his right knee and ankle while straining his calf . What could have been a serious injury was only a minor setback for him . He missed the first three preseason games but bounced back in time for the final preseason game and recorded three tackles and a sack . He started the season as a backup in the team ' s 4 - 3 defense and eased into a right defensive end starting role midway through the season , to earn All - Rookie honors from " Pro Football Weekly " . His 35 tackles were good for 12th on the team - third among linemen and rookies while his six quarterback pressures were fourth . He added 1 . 5 sacks and a pass defensed . In his NFL debut at the San Diego Chargers , Spears was in the defensive line rotation but did not record a tackle . He recorded his first sack - one he split with Greg Ellis - and his first career tackle against the Washington Redskins . Spears then led all defensive linemen with four tackles at the San Francisco 49ers . He helped limit the Philadelphia Eagles to 129 yards , including just 19 rushing , the fourth lowest in franchise history . Spears earned his first NFL start at defensive end at the Seattle Seahawks and responded with three tackles and a batted pass while helping limit Shaun Alexander , the NFL ' s leading rusher to 21 carries for 61 yards ( 2 . 9 avg . ) . He officially moved into the starting lineup full - time against the Arizona Cardinals and led all linemen with four tackles . Spears logged his third career start in Philadelphia and posted a season - high seven tackles to lead all linemen and finish second on the team . He had a three - tackle game at the New York Giants . Against the Kansas City Chiefs , Spears recorded four and a fumble recovery . With 1 : 16 remaining in the first half and Dallas trailing 14 - 10 , Spears scooped up a Trent Green fumble at the Cowboys 15 - yard line and returned it 59 yards to the Chiefs 26 - yard line . Three plays later , Drew Bledsoe completed a pass to Jason Witten for a touchdown and a 17 - 14 halftime lead . It was the eighth - longest return in franchise history and the longest ever by a Dallas rookie . In Washington , Spears recorded three tackles . In the season finale against the St . Louis Rams , he recorded two tackles and his first solo sack of the season . 2006 . Before the 2006 season , Spears underwent minor knee surgery to repair meniscus damage , which forced him to miss the first two weeks of training camp . The Cowboys moved to a 3 - 4 defense and Spears earned the starting role at left defensive end , finishing ninth with 48 tackles ( 31 solo ) , one sack , three pass deflections , two tackles for loss and tied for fifth on the squad with three quarterback pressures . In the season opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars , Spears had two tackles and a tackle for loss . In Week two ' s Sunday night game against the Redskins , Spears recorded his only sack of the season , sacking quarterback Mark Brunell in the first quarter , he also recorded two tackles . After the Cowboys ' bye week , Spears led all defensive linemen with four tackles against the Tennessee Titans . The Titans , in rookie quarterback Vince Young first career start , only rushed 27 times for 78 yards . Spears recorded two tackles the next week in Philadelphia , where he also broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage . Against the Houston Texans , Spears recorded three tackles and a quarterback pressure . He recorded three tackles against the Giants in a Monday night loss at Texas Stadium . At the Carolina Panthers , in a Sunday night victory , Spears had two more tackles and a quarterback pressure . He had five tackles the following week in Washington , followed by four tackles in Arizona . Against the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts , Spears had three tackles and one for loss , limiting the Colts to a season - low 14 points . In the annual Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , he had three tackles . He had two tackles in the Cowboys ' 23 - 20 win over the Giants at the Meadowlands . The following week Spears recorded a season - high six tackles against the Saints in a home loss . He recorded four tackles in a road win against the Atlanta Falcons , helping provide pressure on the defensive line that sacked Falcons quarterback Michael Vick four times . Spears had three tackles in the Cowboys ' Christmas Day loss to the Eagles and did not record a stat in the season finale against the Detroit Lions . In his postseason debut , Spears had one tackle and led the team with two quarterback pressures against the Seahawks . 2007 . In 2007 , he appeared in all 16 regular season game and Dallas ' lone post season game . For the season Spears recorded 32 tackles ( 19 solo ) , two forced fumbles , and a career high two sacks and three passed defensed on the season . In the season opener against the New York Giants , Spears recorded one tackle ( one solo ) . During week two at the Miami Dolphins , he recorded two tackles ( two solo ) . In the week three victory over the Chicago Bears , Spears recorded two tackles ( one solo ) . During the week four victory over the St . Louis Rams , he recorded two tackles ( one solo ) , and 0 . 5 sack . In week five at the Buffalo Bills , Spears recorded two tackles ( one solo ) . During the Cowboys first loss of the season , to the New England Patriots , he recorded four tackles . In the week seven win over the Minnesota Vikings , Spears did not record any stats . During week nine at the Philadelphia Eagles , he recorded one tackle and 0 . 5 sacks and a forced fumble . In the week 10 win over the New York Giants , Spears recorded two tackles ( two solo ) . During the week 11 win over the Washington Redskins , he recorded one tackle . In the week 12 victory over the New York Jets , Spears recorded two tackles and one pass defensed . During the week 13 victory over the Green Bay Packers , he recorded one tackle , and a pass defensed . In the week 14 win over the Detroit Lions , Spears recorded one tackle . During a week 15 loss to the Eagles , he recorded three tackles ( two solo ) . In a week 16 victory over the Carolina Panthers , Spears recorded one tackle and one pass defensed . During the season finale against the Washington Redskins , he recorded a season high five tackles ( four solo ) , one sack , and one forced fumble . In the Cowboys lone playoff game against eventual Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants , Spears recorded two tackles . 2008 . Spears started 15 games and registered career - highs with 65 tackles ( sixth on the team ) , 5 tackles for losses ( fourth on the team ) and 16 quarterback pressures . 2009 . In 2009 , he started 14 games and recorded 50 tackles ( 2 for losses ) , a career - high 2 . 5 sacks and a career - high tying 16 quarterback pressures and 2 pass breakups . Spears played a key role in the playoffs , registering a tackle and three pressures in the wildcard playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles , as the defense did not allow a rushing first down for the first time in postseason team history . He had a postseason career - high six tackles and a pressure in the divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings . 2010 . After playing in only eight games ( 7 starts ) , his streak of 88 consecutive games played ended on November 10 , when he was placed on the injured reserve list , with a left calf injury . Playing mostly in running downs , he registered 24 tackles ( 1 for loss ) and 3 quarterback pressures . 2011 . Spears signed a 5 year , $ 19 . 2 million contract during the off - season . He injured his groin in the second preseason game and missed the rest of the preseason . New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan selected Kenyon Coleman and Jason Hatcher as the starters at defensive end , relegating Spears into a reserve role for the first time in his career . He was used mostly on running downs and registered 29 tackles ( one for loss ) , 15th on the team and fifth among defensive linemen , one sack , two pass deflections and one quarterback pressure . 2012 . In 2012 , he again had a reserve role , but got a chance to start in six games because of injuries . Spears finished the season with 35 tackles ( 2 for loss ) and 1 sack . He missed one game with a knee injury . On March 13 , 2013 , Spears was released because of a degenerative knee condition and he was not seen as a good fit in the team ' s plan to change to a 4 - 3 defense . While he never developed into a Pro Bowl player like fellow 2005 first - round pick DeMarcus Ware , he was durable , an excellent locker room presence and fulfilled his primary responsibility in the 3 - 4 defense , which was to create rushing lanes for the outside linebacker s . Baltimore Ravens . On March 15 , 2013 Spears signed a two - year , $ 3 . 55 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens . On October 30 , 2013 , he was waived after registering 10 tackles as a reserve defensive end . Charitable work . Spears was actively involved in community service projects during his time at LSU . His sister , Deidre was a three - year letterwoman on the basketball team at LSU , while starting two of those years for the Lady Tigers . As a rookie , Spears was a member of the Cowboys 2005 Rookie Club , a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service in the Dallas area which included work with The Salvation Army , Children ' s Medical Center Dallas and Meals on Wheels . In the spring , Spears was a co - chair , along with teammate DeMarcus Ware , for the second annual Taste of the NFL : The Ultimate Dallas Cowboys Tailgate Party at Abacus restaurant that benefited The North Texas Food Bank . The event raised enough money to provide 330 , 000 meals to North Texans in need . In 2008 Marcus Spears donated $ 6 , 500 to a highschool student by the name of Willie Forbes who was going on a trip to Europe for 21 days with People to People Student Ambassadors . In Europe , Willie visited France , Italy , and Greece . While in those countries , Willie visited sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the Parthenon . He and Marcus now share a great friendship . Family . Spears and his wife , Aiysha , have one daughter , Macaria Reagan ( born 2 / 23 / 07 ) , and one son , Tory .