With the recent Austin Corbett trade in the books, the Cleveland Browns had an open roster spot and while rumors swirled about the possible addition of a new offensive lineman via trade, the end result was much less spectacular. Cleveland added defensive tackle Eli Ankou off of the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.
If you haven’t heard of Ankou, it might be because he has not seen any action on the active roster this season.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 325 pounds
Previous Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Ankou went undrafted out of UCLA in 2017, but was signed by the Houston Texans and failed to make the final roster. He was then claimed by Jacksonville and saw action in nine games, mostly on special teams. In 2018, Ankou actually saw action in even fewer games; he was limited to two contests again primarily playing special teams. Ankou failed to make the roster for 2019, but signed to the Jacksonville practice squad.
The Canadian native, was actually selected in the third round of the Canadian Football League Draft, but obviously chose the NFL path instead. Ankou would have likely been a first-round CFL selection, but it was common knowledge he would likely never go North. He fits the profile of a stereotypical 3-4 nose tackle and Jacksonville was hoping he could elevate his game to fill that role on the two-deep, but that never materialized.
The Browns are hoping he can provide depth at defensive tackle, but it is hard to envision him making much of an impact or even being on the active roster long. Ankou is not an impressive pass rusher in any sense of the imagination and despite having the ideal size to play the position, he carries too much sloppy weight. He is still only 25 years old and could potentially develop into an adequate reserve, but I am not getting my hopes up.
