Alexander Colby Ellis (born February 10, 1993) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
for the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
. He was signed by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
as an undrafted free agent after the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
College career
Ellis attended the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
, where he played as a
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
for the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
football team.
Professional career
Tennessee Titans
On May 9, 2016, Ellis signed with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
as an undrafted free agent. On September 2, 2016, Ellis was waived by the Titans as part of final roster cuts.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On September 5, 2016, Ellis was signed to the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
practice squad. On November 26, 2016, he was promoted to their active roster, where he played his first NFL game against the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
.
On September 2, 2017, Ellis was waived by the Jaguars.
New Orleans Saints
On November 29, 2017, Ellis was signed to the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 16, 2018. He was waived by the Saints on May 7, 2018.
Kansas City Chiefs
Ellis was claimed off waivers by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
on May 8, 2018. He was waived with an injury designation by the Chiefs on October 2, 2018. After going unclaimed on waivers, the Chiefs placed him on injured reserve.
Philadelphia Eagles
On August 2, 2019, Ellis was signed by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and re-signed to the team's
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
the next day. On September 6, 2019, he was promoted to the 53-man roster as the team's third tight end. He was waived again on September 10, and re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 11. He was promoted to the team's active roster again on September 17. After suffering a knee injury in week 4 against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Ellis was waived/injured on October 4, and subsequently reverted to the team's injured reserve list after clearing waivers on October 7. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on October 15. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 16, 2019. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 6, 2020. He was waived on July 17, 2020.
New England Patriots
Ellis was signed by the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
on August 17, 2020. He was waived on August 22, 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders
Ellis signed with the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
on June 3, 2021. He was waived on August 31, 2021.
Arizona Cardinals
Ellis was signed to the practice squad of the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
on November 9, 2021. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on January 19, 2022. He was released on July 26, 2022.
Arlington Renegades
Ellis was selected by the
Arlington Renegades
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL (2020), XFL owne ...
in the
2023 XFL Draft.
DC Defenders
The Arlington Renegades traded Ellis to the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
on March 6, 2023.
References
External links
Jacksonville Jaguars bioTennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Alex
1993 births
Living people
People from Sussex County, Delaware
Players of American football from Delaware
American football tight ends
Tennessee Volunteers football players
Tennessee Titans players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
New Orleans Saints players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Philadelphia Eagles players
New England Patriots players
Las Vegas Raiders players
Arizona Cardinals players
Arlington Renegades players
DC Defenders players