FRISCO, Texas — Linebacker and core special teams’ player, Justin March-Lillard is parting ways with the Dallas Cowboys. He became a free agent after the 2020 season and is signing with the Tennessee Titans, per his agent Doug Hendrickson via social media on Thursday. March is moving from the NFC East to the AFC South.
“Excited to join the Titans organization and give them all of who I am as a person and player,” March described to D210Sports following the announcement. “I can’t wait to serve my new teammates and coaches. I am looking forward to wearing a different shade of blue and competing from the moment I get there.”
His journey to the Cowboys was plagued by hardships. March was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2015 NFL draft. For an UDFA, there is immense pressure to perform and prove value with an uncertain future. Before he had a chance, a knee injury during March’s first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals landed him on injured reserve. After his first big break, a major setback. However, he never could have imagined the devastation that would ensue in his life.
March’s father, Randy Lillard, passed away in November 2016 after a brutal fight with cancer. His father beat lymphoma and prostate cancer but passed from pancreatic cancer. He had three open-heart surgeries, including five total. While coping with the loss of his dad, March had to do so away from his family being moved from team to team. March’s son, Jax, was born in July during his time in Kansas City, and March was claimed by the Miami Dolphins (2017) following the month of August. He ended up going to the Seattle Seahawks the same year, and after being claimed by Seattle, March received more gut-wrenching news.
He played his first game with the Seahawks and found out his brother, Logan Lillard, passed away that night after the game. He suffered from heart disease, labeled Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
In 2017, the Cowboys signed Justin March-Lillard. The day he got the call, was the same day he laid his brother’s casket in the ground.
“Dallas will forever hold a very special place in my heart,” March told D210Sports. “The same day I had to bury my little brother; I got a call from Will McClay asking if I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy. I honestly didn’t think it would go how it did. I met some of my greatest teammates and friends. True brothers I will be in contact with for the rest of my life. With Dallas being my third team in a two-month span, it provided me some much-needed hope and stability in my life and career. I truly know for a fact without my time with the Cowboys, I would not be the man I am today.”
Despite constant adversity and loss, March was an embodiment of strength. He kept fighting at a time when mental health was not a popular topic of discussion but weighed heavily. The same tenacity and willpower to beat an opponent between the hash marks, March used off-the-field to move forward as a catalyst for change on cancer awareness and to foster grief discussions. The teammates he formed relationships with helped him not only fight battles on the field but face the inward struggles that permeated. There is no timetable or instruction manual on dealing with loss but the people surrounding him, shaped a warrior.
“When I came to Dallas, I was a broken and grieving person who did not quite understand it all at the time. But the people I formed bonds with helped me put my life back together piece by piece. I am thankful for them giving me the opportunity to rep the Star. Thankful for all the fans that constantly supported me during my time there.”
He will now take his remarkable journey to the Tennessee Titans with a greater purpose than most. Every player has a reason “why” as they step on the field and for Justin March-Lillard, he carries the legacy of his father and brother with him on the turf.
