Avery Malcolm Ellis (born October 3, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL).

College career

Ellis 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 ...

for the

Temple Owls The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson. The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 18 ...

from 2012 to 2016.

Professional career

Ottawa Redblacks

Following his collegiate career, Ellis signed with the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

on May 8, 2017. He played in his first professional game on July 8, 2017, against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

, where he recorded two tackles, one sack, and one special teams tackle. He scored his first career touchdown on August 18, 2017, in a game against the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

when he returned a fumble 30 yards for the score. In

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, he played in 16 regular season games where he made 28 defensive tackles and six sacks. Ellis played in the first six games of the 2018 season, before suffering an injury in the July 28 game against the Tiger-Cats. He returned for the last three games of the regular season and totalled 15 defensive tackles and three sacks in those nine games. Following an East Final victory against the Tiger-Cats, Ellis played in his first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

game where he recorded three tackles. However, the Redblacks lost the

106th Grey Cup The 106th Grey Cup (branded as the 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game for the 2018 season. It was played on November 25, 2018, between the Ottawa Redblacks and the C ...

championship to the Calgary Stampeders. In 2019, Ellis played in all 18 regular season games and led the team with 54 defensive tackles and tied for the team lead with seven sacks. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...

and he re-signed with the Redblacks on January 15, 2021. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 8, 2022.

Montreal Alouettes (first stint)

On February 8, 2022, it was announced that Ellis had signed with the

. He played in nine games where he had 17 defensive tackles and three sacks.

Edmonton Elks

On August 31, 2022, the Edmonton Elks acquired Ellis and a third-round pick in the

2023 CFL Draft The 2023 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on May 2, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET. 72 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, ...

from the

in exchange for

Thomas Costigan Thomas Costigan (born August 26, 1997) is a professional gridiron football defensive lineman who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). College career Costigan played college fo ...

and Nafees Lyon. He played in seven games where he had 16 defensive tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. He was released on May 4, 2023.

Montreal Alouettes (second stint)

On May 28, 2023, Ellis signed again with the Montreal Alouettes.

Personal life

Ellis was born in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, to parents Lisa Hunter and Byron Ellis, and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, where he attended Montclair High School. He has three younger sisters.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Avery 1994 births Living people American football defensive linemen Canadian football defensive linemen Edmonton Elks players Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni Montreal Alouettes players Ottawa Redblacks players Sportspeople from Montclair, New Jersey Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey Players of Canadian football from Newark, New Jersey Temple Owls football players