BIOGRAPHY
Craig James was born on April 29, 1996, in Edwardsville, Illinois. He is a cornerback in the NFL.
James was born and grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois and attended Edwardsville High School, where he played football and ran track.
James played his first two seasons at the University of Minnesota, serving as a reserve corner and the team's primary punt returner until breaking his leg during his sophomore season. James transferred to Southern Illinois for his final two seasons. As a junior, James recorded 30 tackles and led the Salukis with three interceptions and nine passes broken up and was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer team.
James was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018.
James was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad on September 2, 2019. He was promoted to the team's active roster on September 11, 2019. He was waived on September 17, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster again on September 24 after an injury to Ronald Darby. In the following game against the Green Bay Packers and in the third defensive snap of his career, James deflected a pass at the Eagles three-yard line that was then intercepted by linebacker Nigel Bradham with 28 seconds left to preserve a 34-27 Eagles win. James made his first career start the next week on October 6, 2019 against the New York Jets, making three tackles.
On September 4, 2020, James signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles through the 2021 season.
On July 21, 2022, James signed with the New York Jets, but was released five days later. He was signed to the practice squad on September 1, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.
