Cliff Matthews (born August 5, 1989) 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 ...

coach and former

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 ...

. He was selected by 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 seventh round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

. 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 ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons (first stint)

Matthews was selected by the

in the seventh round (230th overall) of the

. He was signed by the team on July 28. Unfortunately, he was injured in the preseason that year. On September 4, 2015, he was released by the Falcons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On February 5, 2016, he was signed to a future contract by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On October 19, 2016, Matthews was signed by the Falcons. He was released by the Falcons on December 6, 2016.

Ottawa Redblacks

On January 8, 2018, Matthews 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 ...

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 ...

. On May 19, 2018, he was transferred to the retired list.

References

External links

*
Atlanta Falcons bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Cliff 1989 births Living people People from Cheraw, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football defensive ends American football defensive linemen American football outside linebackers South Carolina Gamecocks football players Atlanta Falcons players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Ottawa Redblacks players High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta Falcons coaches Limestone Saints football coaches Reinhardt Eagles football coaches Coaches of American football from South Carolina Canadian football defensive linemen Players of Canadian football from South Carolina