Christian Elliss (born January 2, 1999) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for 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 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

and was originally signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

Early life and education

Elliss was born on January 2, 1999, in

Highlands Ranch, Colorado Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The po ...

, to

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

and Rebecca Elliss. He was the third-oldest of 12 children. His older brother

Kaden Kaden is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The community lies midway between the cities of Cologne and Frankfurt am Main in the south ...

plays for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the

(NFL). He attended high school at Valor Christian, leading his team to the state final as a senior, and earning the South Metro co-Defensive Player of the Year award. Following high school, Elliss accepted a scholarship offer from

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

. As a true freshman in 2017, playing for their

Idaho Vandals football The Idaho Vandals are the college football team that represents the University of Idaho and plays its home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho. Idaho is a member of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Cham ...

team, Elliss played in eleven games, recording 30 tackles and one interception. He gained a starting position as a sophomore, playing in all eleven games as a starter at the

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

position. He led the team with 81 tackles and was named All-Big Sky. He changed to

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

as a junior, starting all eleven games and earning first-team All-Big Sky honors. He led the team with 4.5 sacks and placed second with 104 tackles. The 2020 season was canceled, but later a spring 2021 schedule was announced. In a shortened 2021 season with five games, Elliss made 50 tackles and was selected to first-team All-Big Sky for the second consecutive season.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Following the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

, where Elliss went unselected, he was signed as an

by the

. Following a preseason game, he was fined $3,731 for an unnecessary roughness penalty. He was released two days later on August 23.

Philadelphia Eagles

Elliss was signed to the practice squad of the

on September 9. He was released on October 6, but re-signed with the practice squad five days later. He was released on October 18.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 3, 2021, Elliss was signed to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

practice squad, but was released a week later.

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

Elliss was re-signed to the practice squad of the

on November 24. Elliss made his NFL debut on January 8, 2022, in the Eagles' week 18 game against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, collecting 3 combined tackles in the 51-26 loss. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 18, 2022. On August 30, 2022, Elliss was waived by the Eagles and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster for their week thirteen game against 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 ...

, and was a key player on special teams, making five total tackles and helping block for punt returner Britain Covey as he had the second-best single-game return average on the season. He was signed to the active roster on December 23. Elliss finished the 2022 regular season with six games played and 11 total tackles.

Personal life

His younger brother

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

, a defensive tackle, also plays for the Philadelphia Eagles after he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022. His younger brother,

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...

, currently plays football for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...

References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles bioIdaho Vandals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliss, Christian 1999 births Living people American football linebackers Idaho Vandals football players Minnesota Vikings players People from Highlands Ranch, Colorado Players of American football from Douglas County, Colorado Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players