Joel Heath facts for kids
| No. 93 | |||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | June 18, 1993 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Mount Healthy (Mount Healthy, Ohio) | ||||
| College: | Michigan State (2011–2015) | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2016 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Joel Heath was born on June 18, 1993. He is an American former professional football player. He played as a defensive end for the Houston Texans in the National Football League (NFL) from 2016 to 2019.
Joel was a top player at Mount Healthy High School in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He was a starter for three years and was named All-State twice. In his senior year (2010), he was even named the best co-defensive player in his division by the Associated Press.
After high school, Joel played college football at Michigan State University. He was a "letterman" for three years, which means he played well enough to earn a special award. In his last year (2015), he was recognized as an Honorable Mention for the All-Big Ten Conference team. During his college career, he played in 39 games, starting 24 of them. He made 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Even though he wasn't picked in the 2016 NFL draft, Joel signed with the Houston Texans. He played in 32 games for them from 2016 to 2019, making 34 tackles and three sacks. He was also part of the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions teams later, but he didn't play in any games for them.
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Growing Up and High School Football
Joel Heath was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 18, 1993. He went to Mount Healthy High School in Mount Healthy, Ohio. There, he was a starter for three years on the football team. He played both defensive end and tight end.
In 2009, during his junior year, Joel made 41 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He decided to play for Michigan State on July 1, 2010. In his senior year (2010), he had five sacks. He also helped his high school team win its first-ever playoff game.
Joel received many awards in high school. He was named first-team All-Ohio (Division II) by the Associated Press (AP) twice. He was also named the AP All-Ohio Division II Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. This means he was one of the best defensive players in his division.
He was part of the Ohio All-Stars team in 2011. This team played in the Big 33 Football Classic in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Experts thought Joel was one of the best defensive ends in the country for his age group.
College Football Journey
Joel Heath played college football for the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan State University. He played from 2012 to 2015. He was a "letterman" from 2013 to 2015, showing his dedication and skill. In 2011, he was "redshirted," which means he practiced with the team but didn't play in games. This allowed him to gain experience without using up a year of his playing eligibility.
He started his college career as a defensive end. In 2012, he played in five games, and in 2013, he played in nine games. During the 2013 season, he helped break up a pass.
In 2013, Joel changed his position to defensive tackle. In 2014, he played in 13 games and started 12 of them. He made 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks that year. He also led the team's defensive tackles with five tackles for loss. In January 2015, he played in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
In 2015, Joel started 12 games as a defensive tackle. He made two sacks and 31 tackles. He missed two games due to injuries. He also played in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in December 2015. That year, the media named him an Honorable Mention for the All-Big Ten Conference.
Overall, Joel played in 39 college games and started 24 of them. He finished his college career with 4.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 60 tackles. He earned his college degree in December 2015.
Playing in the NFL
Before the Draft
Before the 2016 NFL draft, experts ranked Joel Heath as the 30th best defensive tackle. One expert, Lance Zierlein, said Joel had an interesting size that could help different types of defenses. However, he also noted that Joel didn't have many plays showing strong pass rushing or run stopping skills.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+1⁄4 in (1.96 m) |
293 lb (133 kg) |
34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
5.02 s | 1.75 s | 2.90 s | 4.52 s | 7.44 s | 33 in (0.84 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
26 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Houston Texans
Even though he wasn't drafted, Joel Heath signed with the Houston Texans in May 2016. He chose the Texans over four other teams that wanted to sign him.
He played his first NFL game on September 22 against the New England Patriots. In that game, he made one tackle. In his first season, Joel played in 12 games and started half of them. He made five solo tackles, three assisted tackles, and two sacks. Both of his sacks happened in one game against the Tennessee Titans. This made him one of only a few Texans rookies to get two sacks in a single game. He also played in both of the team's playoff games. He got a knee injury during the second playoff game.
In May 2017, Joel said his knee was fully healthy. However, he later had a hamstring injury. He was placed on a special list for injuries but was activated in August. He started the 2017 season as the team's right defensive end. He started the first four games. He missed a few games later in the season due to a knee injury. In total, Joel played in 13 games for the Texans in 2017, starting nine of them. He made 17 solo tackles, seven assisted tackles, and one sack.
In 2018, Joel played in only five games for the Texans and made two tackles. He also had more knee problems that season.
The Texans let Joel go in August 2019. He tried out for seven other NFL teams that year but didn't sign with any of them. However, the Texans re-signed him in November. He was let go again later that month but re-signed two days later. In 2019, he played in two games but didn't record any statistics. The Texans released him for the last time in December.
Denver Broncos
On December 31, 2019, the Denver Broncos picked up Joel Heath. He signed with them again in March 2020 but was released in July. He decided not to play in the 2020 NFL season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was put on a special reserve list for players who opted out. The Broncos released him in February 2021.
Detroit Lions
On February 18, 2021, Joel signed with the Detroit Lions. Sadly, he suffered a serious knee injury (a torn ACL) during practice in May. This injury meant he couldn't play for the rest of the season. He was placed on the injured reserve list. In January 2022, he was put on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for COVID-19. He was cleared a few days later. Joel became a free agent in March 2022.
During his NFL career, Joel Heath played in 32 regular season games and started 16 of them. He made a total of 34 tackles and three sacks. He also played in two playoff games, where he made two solo tackles.
Life Off the Field
In 2017, Joel Heath started the JH93 Football Camp. This is an annual youth football camp held at his old high school, Mount Healthy High School. It helps young football players learn and grow.
