BIOGRAPHY
Daren Weston Bates was born on November 27th, 1990, in Memphis, Tennessee, and currently plays linebacker for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. Bates attended Olive Branch High School and played college football at Auburn University.
During high school, Bates collected 90 tackles and four interceptions and had nearly 900 yards of total offense as a senior and was named MHSAA All-Region 1 Class 5A team.
Bates played for the Auburn University football team from 2009 to 2012. In 2009, Bates was tied for 39th in the SEC in tackles per game. In 2009, he started all 13 games at safety and totaled 70 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. In 2010, he appeared in 12 games with nine starts and was 8th on the team with 48 tackles. Bates was made the Freshman All-SEC team and also was a second-team Freshman All American. Bates made his first collegiate start at linebacker in the season opener vs. Arkansas State after playing safety the previous years. In 2011 Bates started all 13 games and led the team with 104 tackles and was third on team with 8.5 tackles for loss (-30), 2.5 quarterback sacks (-15), and nine quarterback hurries. In 2012 Bates made 94 tackles (39) solo and 5.5 for losses he also batted away 4 passes and recovered 2 fumbles and intercepted a pass.
Bates was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent and made the final 53-man squad on September 1, 2013. He has been used primarily as a special team player for the Rams providing a valuable contribution. On October 13, 2013, against the Houston Texans, Bates returned a fumbled kickoff return for a touchdown to score the first touchdown of his career.
Bates signed with the Oakland Raiders on March 14, 2016.
Daren Weston Bates has played for multiple teams throughout his NFL journey and is currently playing for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. On March 10, 2017, Bates signed a three-year contract.
