LaCale London
refer to caption
London with the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2023
No. 72 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1997-08-05) August 5, 1997 (age 26)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school:Peoria (IL)
College:Western Illinois
Undrafted:2020
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:13
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

LaCale London (born August 5, 1997) is an American football nose tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Illinois and was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Early years

LaCale London was born on August 5, 1997, in Peoria, Illinois. He attended Peoria High School there, earning all-conference and defensive player of the year honors. After graduating, London spent one year at Iowa Central Community College, playing in six games as a freshman and recording 32 tackles. He also made six quarterback sacks.[1]

College career

London later transferred to Western Illinois University, playing in all eleven games in 2018. He recorded 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks, earning him a place on the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVCF) All-Newcomer team. As a senior in 2019, London started all twelve games and tied for second in the MVCF with three forced fumbles. He totaled 45 tackles, earning him second-team All-MVCF honors by Phil Steele.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+5⁄8 in
(1.92 m) 		297 lb
(135 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 5.16 s 1.71 s 2.72 s 4.85 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)		 9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)		 25 reps
All values from Pro Day[2]

Chicago Bears

After going unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft, London was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.[3] He was released at roster cuts but later re-signed to the practice squad. He spent the entire 2020 season on the practice squad, and did not see any playing time.

London was placed on injured reserve to start the 2021 season, but was released with an injury settlement on September 8.[4] He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 2, and activated in December. He made his NFL debut on December 20, playing on one snap in a loss versus the Minnesota Vikings.[5] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bears on January 11, 2022.[6] He was waived on August 23, 2022.[7]

St. Louis BattleHawks

On November 17, 2022, London was drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.[8] After posting two forced fumbles in a win over the Seattle Sea Dragons, he was named the XFL Defensive Player of the Week.[9] He was released from his contract on May 15, 2023.[10]

Atlanta Falcons

On May 16, 2023, London signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[11] He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.[12][13] On October 24, 2023, the Falcons signed London to the active roster.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on November 1.[15] He was activated on December 16.

References

  1. ^ a b "LaCale London - Football - Western Illinois University Athletics". GoLeathernecks.com.
  2. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout LaCale London College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Barbieri, Alyssa (April 27, 2020). "Bears UDFA DL LaCale London celebrated with drive-by parade". USA Today.
  4. ^ "LaCale London: Waived with injury settlement". CBS Sports. September 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "LaCale London Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  6. ^ Mayer, Larry (January 11, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears sign 11 to reserve/future contracts". ChicagoBears.com.
  7. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 23, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears cut five to reach 80-man roster limit". ChicagoBears.com.
  8. ^ "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "Coan, London and Hageman Named OurSports Central XFL Players of the Week". February 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "XFL Transactions". Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  11. ^ McElhaney, Tori (May 16, 2023). "Falcons sign four, release veteran tackle". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  12. ^ "Falcons announce initial 53-man roster for 2023". AtlantaFalcons.com. August 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Bair, Scott (August 30, 2023). "Falcons announce additions to practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  14. ^ Williams, Charean (October 24, 2023). "Falcons sign LaCale London to active roster, cut Eli Ankou". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  15. ^ Bair, Scott (November 1, 2023). "Falcons sign DL Travis Bell off Chicago Bears practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com.
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