B.C. Lions sign veteran NFL defensive lineman Christian Covington
Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Christian Covington stands on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (Ashley Landis / The Canadian Press/AP)
Christian Covington is coming home.
The veteran defensive lineman signed with the B.C. Lions on Wednesday. The CFL club originally drafted Covington, a Vancouver native, in the fifth round, No. 43 overall, in the 2015 CFL draft.
The six-foot-two, 300-pound Covington joins the Lions after playing in 102 NFL regular-season games over nine seasons. He was a 2015 sixth-round pick of the Houston Texans and appeared in 50 contests over four seasons with the franchise, registering 39 tackles and 7.5 sacks.
The 30-year-old Covington, who played his college football at Rice (2011-14), also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys (2019), Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals (2020), Los Angeles Chargers (2021-22, 2023) and Detroit Lions (2023).
Covington's father, Grover, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2000 following a stellar CFL career as a defensive end with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1981-91).
The elder Covington amassed a CFL-record 157 sacks over his tenure in Canada. He was also a four-time league all-star, the '86 Grey Cup's top defensive player and CFL outstanding defensive player in 1988.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.
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