Daniel Ross (born March 15, 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 wi ...

defensive tackle for the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

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). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent after the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

. He played college football at

Northeast Mississippi The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Early years

Ross attended Jeffersontown High School, where he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and at one time was ranked as the number 2 forward prep prospect in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. He began playing football as a sophomore in high school. He was a

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, ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

, twice receiving All-district and honorable-mention All-state honors. After not being heavily recruited by colleges, he chose to enroll at

Northeast Mississippi Community College Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) is a public community college in Booneville, Mississippi. History The college was founded in 1948 as ''Northeast Mississippi Junior College,'' and became known primarily as an agricultural school a ...

. As a freshman in 2012, he tallied 21 tackles (5.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, he posted 45 tackles to lead the team, 9.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.

Professional career

Edmonton Eskimos

On March 7, 2014, he was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the

, eight days shy of his 21st birthday. He was waived on June 21 and signed the next day to the team's practice squad. On May 15, 2015, he was released before the start of the season with a knee injury. On May 28, 2016, he was re-signed by the Eskimos after sitting out the 2015 season recovering from his knee injury and having a tryout at their mini-camp in Florida. He was released on June 15.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On July 26, 2016, he was signed by the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

of the

. He was activated on August 12. He was released on August 17 after playing in one game.

Houston Texans

On May 12, Ross was 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 Houston Texans after the

. On September 2, he was waived by the Texans and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 8.

Detroit Lions

On September 11, 2017, Ross was signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad. He was released on September 14.

Kansas City Chiefs

On September 19, 2017, Ross was signed to 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 ...

' practice squad.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 11, 2017, Ross was signed by 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 divi ...

off the Chiefs' practice squad, filling the roster spot created by

Ezekiel Elliott Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he earned second-team All-America honors in 2015. Ell ...

's suspension. The addition of Ross and the promotion of Lewis Neal from the team's practice squad, helped to improve the depth at the

defensive line 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 numb ...

with both Brian Price and

Stephen Paea Stephen Paea ( ; born May 11, 1988) is a New Zealand–born former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for Oregon State University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears ...

being placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. He was first activated for the 14th game against the Oakland Raiders, making one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry. In the season finale against 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 play ...

, he had one sack and one fumble recovery. He finished the season with 2 tackles (one for loss), one sack, 2 quarterback pressures and one fumble recovery. In 2018, he appeared in 13 games as a backup, collecting 10 tackles (3 for loss), one sack, 11 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. On March 8, 2019, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On August 31, he was placed on the

with a shoulder injury.

Las Vegas Raiders

On April 6, 2020, Ross signed as a

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 ...

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 div ...

, reuniting with his former Cowboys defensive coordinator

Rod Marinelli Rodney Marinelli (born July 13, 1949) is an American football coach. He has been a defensive coach for several college and professional teams, serving primarily as a defensive line coach when he has not been a coordinator. From 2006 until 2008, ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on October 2 and was activated on November 7. He was waived on December 7, 2020.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 8, 2020, Ross was claimed off waivers by 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 pla ...

. He re-signed with the team after the season on April 9, 2021. He was placed on injured reserve on August 17, 2021, and released two days later.

Edmonton Elks

The Elks announced the signing of Ross on January 26, 2022.

Personal life

On November 6, 2019, Ross was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

References

External Links

Edmonton Elks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Daniel 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Louisville, Kentucky Players of Canadian football from Louisville, Kentucky American football defensive tackles Northeast Mississippi Tigers football players American players of Canadian football Edmonton Elks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Houston Texans players Detroit Lions players Kansas City Chiefs players Dallas Cowboys players Las Vegas Raiders players Jacksonville Jaguars players