JI #20

Ja'Marcus Ingram

Cornerback · Buffalo

An undrafted defensive back who went from unrecruited high schooler to Hail Mary hero, Ja'Marcus Ingram has scrapped his way through three programs and two NFL rosters.

Ja'Marcus Ingram is a cornerback whose path to the NFL ran through three different colleges before he stuck as an undrafted free agent. After building a role in Buffalo, including a career-defining defensive stop and his first career pick-six, he now continues his career with the Houston Texans.

★ Sealed a Week 1 win over Arizona in 2024 by breaking up a last-second Hail Mary

★ Recorded a pick-six off Tua Tagovailoa in a 2024 win over Miami

★ Went from unrecruited high schooler to a three-college college path before sticking in the NFL

Path to the league

Ingram was an unrecruited walk-on at Utah State, where he started 37 games over two seasons, before transferring to Texas Tech and later to Buffalo as a graduate transfer for his final year of eligibility. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after going unselected in that year's draft.

Career highlights

Ingram's breakout moment came in the Bills' 2024 season opener, when he broke up a last-second Hail Mary attempt from Kyler Murray to seal a 34-28 win over Arizona. Later that season he picked off Tua Tagovailoa twice in a win over Miami, including his first career interception returned for a touchdown.

2025 season recap

Ingram spent the first part of the 2025 season with Buffalo before being released in early December and claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans. He re-signed with Houston as an exclusive-rights free agent in March 2026, entering the Texans' secondary with career totals of 39 tackles, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.