Elijah Qualls


Elijah Qualls is an American professional football nose tackle. He played college football at the University of Washington.

Early life

Qualls attended Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California. He played defensive tackle, center and running back. The California native was a prized recruit, and ran for over 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final two years in high school. He committed to the University of Washington to play college football.

College career

After redshirting his first year at Washington in 2013, Qualls played in all 14 games in 2014, recording 13 tackles. In 2015, he played in 10 games with eight starts and had 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. As a junior in 2016, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference after recording 38 tackles and three sacks. After the season, Qualls decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL draft.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Qualls in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft. On May 11, the Eagles signed Qualls to a four-year, $2.52 million contract with a signing bonus of $127,204. Qualls ended his rookie season with a Super Bowl ring after the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41–33 in Super Bowl LII.
On September 1, 2018, Qualls was waived by the Eagles.

Carolina Panthers

On December 20, 2018, Qualls was signed to the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on December 31, 2018. He was waived on July 24, 2019.

Baltimore Ravens

On August 10, 2019, Qualls was signed by the Baltimore Ravens, but was waived five days later.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On August 19, 2019, Qualls signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

DC Defenders

In October 2019, Qualls was drafted by the DC Defenders of the XFL in the third round of the 2020 XFL draft. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

New York Giants

On August 11, 2021, Qualls signed with the New York Giants. He was waived on August 31, 2021.

B.C. Lions

Qualls signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League on April 21, 2022.

Houston Roughnecks

On November 17, 2022, Qualls was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.