Harper was acquired by Cincinnati on waivers on Sept. 29, after playing in the first three games of the 2023 season with the Dallas Cowboys ... Originally drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round (193rd overall) in 2022, he played in the first three games of his rookie season (primarily on special teams) before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury ... Spent five seasons at Oklahoma State University (2017-21; redshirted in '16), where he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors as a team captain in '21.
Selected by Dallas in sixth round of 2022 NFL Draft (193rd overall) ... Signed with Cowboys on 5-13-22 ... Waived by Cowboys on 9-28-23 ... Acquired by Cincinnati on waivers from Cowboys on 9-29-23.
2022—Played in three games for Dallas as a special teams contributor ... Made NFL debut on Sept. 11 vs. Tampa Bay, and also saw playing time on Sept. 18 vs. Cincinnati and on Sept. 26 at N.Y. Giants ... Inactive for four games before spending remainder of the season on Reserve/Injured list due to an Achilles injury.
2023—Played in first three games of the season for Dallas ... Logged two defensive tackles and a special teams tackle for the Cowboys, before being waived on Sept. 28 ... Acquired by Cincinnati on waivers the following day, and went on to play in six games for the Bengals ... Recorded two special teams tackles ... Inactive for eight games ... Made Bengals debut on Oct. 8 at Arizona, notching a special teams stop.
Spent six seasons at Oklahoma State University (2016-21) ... Redshirted as a true freshman in 2016, and used additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19 pandemic ... Totaled 216 career tackles, with 26.5 TFLs and 13.5 sacks ... Added two INTs and two FFs ... Named honorable mention All-Big 12 (coaches) and first-team Academic All-Big 12 in 2021 ... In 2021, Started 13 of 14 games played and finished as the team's second leading tackler with 96 stops (61 solos), including six sacks and 10 TFLs.
Hometown is Knoxville, Tenn. ... Attended Karns High School (Knoxville), where he lined up on both offense and defense ... Earned all-state honors as a senior, when he averaged 213 all-purpose yards per game offensively while tallying 40 defensive tackles ... Also competed in basketball and track and field ... Younger brother, Thomas, also played football at Oklahoma State ... Received bachelor's degree in university studies from Oklahoma State in December 2019 ... Has a son, Camden Ryder.
