Alexander Colby Ellis (born February 10, 1993) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

who is a free agent. 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

as an undrafted free agent after the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft 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 is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

College career

Ellis attended the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

, where he played as a

for the

football team. In the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he totaled 14 receptions for 232 yards and one touchdown.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

On May 9, 2016, Ellis signed with the

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

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–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. 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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

' 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and re-signed to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, 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. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

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 Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

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) NFC West, West division. The ...

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 Renegades compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMah ...

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 Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

on March 6, 2023. Ellis finished the season with eight receptions for 59 yards and four touchdowns. He re-signed with the team on March 11, 2024.

References

External links

Tennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Alex 1993 births Living people Sportspeople 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