The Falcons are bringing in some defensive line depth on a quiet Sunday evening. Atlanta has agreed to terms with free agent defensive tackle Eli Ankou, a source told veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson (Twitter link).
Ankou just met with the Bills a few days ago, so it appears there was some legit interest in the interior defender. The UCLA product was an UDFA in 2017, and originally signed with the Texans. After getting cut by Houston he was claimed by the Jaguars, and played a real role in Jacksonville as a rookie. In nine games in 2017, he had 15 tackles and a sack and a half as a rotational run defender.
The big fella was a part of the Jags’ organization until the Browns signed him off their practice squad in October of 2019. He ended up making two starts while appearing in nine games for Cleveland that year. Ankou then had a short stint with the Colts, was waived, claimed by the Texans, and then traded to the Cowboys in November of last year.
He finished the 2020 season in Dallas, and played around a third of the defensive snaps in the seven games he was active. He’ll turn 27 next month.
This isn’t exactly great news, but news nonetheless lol