Getty Calvin Ridley #18 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on as Chris Rowland #12 participates in a drill at training camp.
The Atlanta Falcons have less than 24 hours to trim their roster down to 53 players.
Among the first to go were defensive tackle Eli Ankou and defensive lineman Zac Dawe as reported by ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
The #Falcons have also cut DL Zac Dawe, per source.
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Ankou Joined the League in 2017
Ankou joined the NFL in May of 2017 after signing with the Houston Texans as a rookie undrafted free agent out of UCLA.
However, he didn’t spend much time in Houston after he failed to make the 53-man roster. His journey didn’t stop there though as the Jacksonville Jaguars claimed him off the waivers.
He appeared in nine games as a backup, posting 15 tackles (one for loss), 1.5 sacks and two quarterback pressures during his rookie year. And in 2018, he appeared in two games as a backup and had four tackles.
After his two low-impact seasons in Jacksonville, Ankou headed to Cleveland with the Browns. He spent one season there, appearing in 9 games with 2 starts, tallying 7 tackles (one for loss), before he joined the Indianapolis Colts.
From Indy, he made his way back to Houston and the Dallas Cowboys traded a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Texans to acquire him midseason. He saw action in five games and was responsible for five total tackles.
In four NFL seasons, Ankou has been credited with 31 career tackles, including two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks, the same number of sacks he recorded during his college career with the Bruins.
Falcons Other Roster Cuts
As for defensive lineman Zac Dawe, he was an undrafted free agent out of BYU who finished 2020 with a career-high 43 total tackles (17 solo), 2.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss and two pass breakups through 12 games.
The Falcons made some other early roster cuts on Monday night and released wide receiver Chris Rowland, along with linebackers Kobe Jones and Tuzar Skipper.
The #Falcons are releasing OLB/DE Kobe Jones, per source.
Falcons releasing pass rusher Tuzar Skipper, per source
All 32 NFL teams have until 4:00 PM on Tuesday to get the roster down to 53 players. Stay tuned for the final roster.
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