Zion Childress
American football player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zion Childress (born January 21, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas State Bobcats and Kentucky Wildcats.
Houston, Texas, U.S.
| No. 48 – Dallas Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 21, 2002 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 203 lb (92 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | New Caney (New Caney, Texas) |
| College | Texas State (2020–2021) Kentucky (2022–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Childress attended New Caney High School located in New Caney, Texas. Coming out of high school, he committed to play college football for the Texas State Bobcats.[1]
College career
Texas State
During his freshman season in 2020, Childress played in all 12 games, making six starts, where he recorded 61 tackles with one going for a loss, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[2] In week one of the 2021 season, he recorded seven tackles and a forced fumble versus Baylor.[3] Childress finished the 2021 season, notching 74 tackles, five pass deflections, an interception, and two forced fumbles.[4] After the conclusion of the 2021 season, he decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[5]
Kentucky
Childress transferred to play for the Kentucky Wildcats.[6] During the 2022 season, he recorded 34 tackles, a sack, and three pass deflections in 13 games.[7] In the 2023 season, Childress was named a team captain, starting in all 13 games, where he tallied 59 tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[2] During the 2024 season, he totaled 55 tackles with six being for a loss, a sack, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.[8]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) | 6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) | 4.35 s | 7.08 s | 14 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
After not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Childress signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent.[10][11][12] He was waived on August 27, 2025 and re-signed to the practice squad.[13] Childress made two appearances for the Cowboys, recording one tackle.
Houston Texans
On September 24, 2025, the Houston Texans signed Childress to their 53-man roster off the Cowboys practice squad.[14] He was waived on October 20.[15]
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On October 22, 2025, Childress was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad.[16] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2026.[17]